Masks
by xxLiLixx
Summary: First of a series. It's the Naruto universe with a few new twists and turns here and there. It will hopefully be good for some laughs, tears, smiles, and sweat drops. Read and judge for yourself! Pairings: NaruHina SasuSaku and more. M for mature content.
1. Dearest Ninja

Umm, why hello there reader! This is the author here, xlilix, telling you the whole "I don't own Naruto" thing.

So heres some background you might find helpful:

This is my first story: yes, I am a fanfiction virgin, so be gentle with me. lol  
I am not really too up to date with the manga and anime: I have the general idea, but if its a little off then my bad!

I'm not really sure what to label this: it's hopefully going to end up having comedy, romance, friendship, drama, angst, adventure, mystery, and all that good stuff rolled into one big ol' Naruto ball.

This fiction is going to follow an origional character but the story is going to build up around the Canon Naruto character relationships, plots, and such so with any luck it'll be fine. ;D

Time: Shippuden, Naruto and Sakura are 15, a little while after their encounter with Sasuke.

**Bold**- Stressed  
_Italics- _thoughts

PS: Reviews are welcomed and encouraged!  
Seriously!  
Even comments ranging from "You suck at life! Go die!" to "That was sort of cool, keep it up." or even something random: "I really like horseradish you should add something about horseradish to this story" I will totally, maybe, think about it! Don't be afraid to share your thoughts!

On to the story!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The forest was calm and silent as the sun beat down through the canopy in pale streaks.

The only sound to be heard was light, almost inaudible tapping and swishing sounds as sandals pushed off tree branches and bodies cut through the air with immense speed and agility.

To the average observer they were just a glimpse of color, a trick of the light, before they sped past, completely unnoticeable.

Unnoticeable that is, until one blonde loudmouth clad in black and orange exclaimed:  
"NE! KAKASHI-SENSIEEEE! How much longer til' we reach the village?! I'm **starving** dattebayo! This **whole** mission: no ramen! It's been days! Can you believe it Sakura-chan?"

"… Noooooo, of course not Naruto! A mission without ramen?" She gave an exaggerated gasp, "I mean who could even **think** such a terrible thing?" drawled a young woman with striking coral hair.

"Heyyy Sakura-chan! If I didn't know any better I'd start to think you're making fun of me…" The blonde jokingly whined.

"Well then it's a good thing you don't know any better now isn't it Naruto?" remarked a masked man nonchalantly.

...

"Soooooo?"

…

"So what Dickless?" asked a smiling, abdomen baring teen.

"I just asked: how much longer?"

"Let's see here, hmmm, looks like we've still got about a day and a half's journey ahead of us." Kakashi intoned.

"GAAAH! This mission is so lame! A-ranked my butt baa-chan! We're top ninja! Not glorified delivery boys!"

Sakura gave him a patient smile.  
"Oh come on Naruto, it's not that bad, and besides this mission is really important: the safe delivery of these scrolls represents the growing relations between Konohagakure and Kumogakure. The sharing of information will help us build trust and will aid in the reformation of the peace treaty between our nations that Tsunade-shisou and the village have been working so hard for. You should be honored to protect something so valuable."

Considering her words Naruto made a face that was between contemplation and constipation. He then smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head:  
"Well, when you put it that way…  
But still! I can't wait to get back home and hit up Ichiraku's! How 'bout it Sakura-chan?" He said waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

At this the girl rolled her eyes, but smiled warmly at her enthusiastic teammate.  
"Sure thing Naruto."

"Yeah, that's just what you need hag: ramen to make you fat and uglier."

"Rrrrrr" A pink eyebrow twitched.  
"_Ok Sakura you can do this… Don't let him get to you! Just calm down, count to ten… Must… resist….urge… to kill…"_

With a heavy breath out and a forced smile, she recomposed herself:  
"Tut tut tut. Oh **darling** Sai, you know that flattery will get you nowhere with me." She responded, oozing sarcasm.

"I don't think that I, nor anyone else, would ever desire to go anywhere with **you** hag." Cue the fake smile.

"AHH! JERK!" The kunoichi shrieked as she landed a furious punch onto his cheek, sending him flying off of his branch and into the nearest trunk. He got up good-naturedly and dusted himself off, seemingly unfazed by this now routine attack.

Naruto laughed and chimed in as Sakura started to yell obscenities at the pale boy's ear, while said boy resumed his previous pace.

Their team leader half heartedly listened, read from an orange book, and pondered his team's "unique" dynamic: _"They sure know how to pass the time don't they."_

And while this commotion took place, all four failed to notice that a new entity that had been closely observing them through the trees.

* * *

"SAI! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO QUIuuuhh…" The last part of her sentence trailed off as Sakura suddenly closed her eyes and started to fall forward. All three teammates took notice immediately and jumped to her aid.

"Sakura-chan!?" Naruto yelled fearfully as he caught her on her way down to the forest floor. He crouched over her figure scanning desperately for what had caused her to falter.

The two others landed gracefully adjacent to the pair now huddled on the ground.

"What happened to her?" Asked Sai. Kakashi was busy scanning the area for threats.

"She's passed out, I don't knuuuh…" Naruto then slouched down atop Sakura's still form.

This time Kakashi's keen eye found the cause of their condition: a tiny glint of a slim needle was protruding from the necks of the two ninja.

"Sai, they've been hit with poisoned needles! Stay alert!" Kakashi barked.

"Hai. Can you detect the enemy's presehh…?" Sai's knees buckled under his weight as he went down with a small thump.

"_Damn. He had already been hit by the time I warned him."_

Kakashi's senses now working overdrive to defend did not disappoint as he deflected multiple tiny needles with a kunai and flung a mass of shuriken into the tree from which the needles' trajectory had come from. Unfortunately, the attacker had anticipated its own discovery and, just as the shuriken were leaving the Jounin's fingertips, a shadow had materialized from above.  
As soon as Kakashi's eye even began to widen in realization, a blow was sent to the pressure point in the back of his neck, knocking him out cold.

* * *

Darkness, a sliver of light at the bottom of his eyelids, and then blurry colors started to become pronounced as Naruto blearily tried to open his eyes. His brain was desperately trying to focus and make congruent thought and connection:

"_Black. It's my pants. _

_Brown. It's dirt._

_Dirt equals ground. _

_Ground equals down. _

_I'm looking down. _

_Why? _

_Look up. _

_Can't._

_Keep trying."  
_

Naruto's head was hung low towards his lap unable to move. He was blinking slowly trying to gain clarity in his muddled mind.

"_Why? Where?  
The last thing I remember?  
The forest.  
Our mission!  
__Sakura!  
__But I was knocked out too!  
We've been attacked!  
MOVE."_

He attempted to move again with intensified effort and determination: this time his head actually made a small sluggish nod, his fingers twitched, and his leg muscle attempted to contract.

From this attempt he assessed:  
"_I'm pretty numb, probably from a toxin. My hands and feet are bound behind my back. I'm in a kneeling position. So I am captured. By who? Akatsuki? No! Are the others all right!? What if they're not! MOVE NOW!"_

With this, his head snapped up and his eyes shot open to determine his surroundings. He was still in the forest.  
_"Well that's a good sign right?"_  
Straight ahead was a figure in black crouching over Kakashi's pack, rummaging through it. But as soon as the movement of Naruto's head was detected the figure instantly spun around and landed in a defensive stance.

"_Fast reflexes, solid stance, black outfit, hood up, wearing a mask. I'm thinkin Ninja, most definitely. Well hey, no red clouds, and I'm still alive, so not Akatsuki, that's good I guess. But they are still an enemy. So then who are they? From where? Why did they attack us? Us. My team! Are they ok?" _

The figure kept its position and so did Naruto: both stone still, the two facing each other, staring intently. The captor's frozen position was out of calculation and anticipation of attack, Naruto's however was, well, simply because he could not really move, his previous movement being brought about by sheer will power.

"_Ok what now genius? Still can't move so nothing I can really do…. Uhh… keep staring. Can't back down. Don't show weakness! Uhh, wait is he even looking at me? I mean he's facing me n' all, but damn, I can't tell, he's wearing that mask… _

_Stupid masks. _

_Oh you think your sooo mysterious cuz you wear a mask!  
Psssh like anbu for instance: think they're hot shit, flaunting they're stuff. I remember that one guy snuck into Ichiraku's once, all silent and decked out in uniform. I look away for one measly second and when I turn back around he was all two inches away from my face with that owl mask! Scared the crap out of me! I nearly fell off my chair! I mean seriously, you're just eating lunch you big show off! (but secretly those masks are kinda cool. Man I can't wait to be anbu!)_

_And I know for a fact Kakashi-sensei only has his mask to drive everybody nuts with curiosity, it's not like it does anything to hide his identity. We all know it's him! The mask is totally pointless! Wait, what am I thinking? I'm in a serious situation here! Umm well hopefully my face remained neutral while I was thinking and…. he's still… just… standing there… staring at me…with that mask._

_Wait! This thought isn't pointless: the mask! Maybe I can figure out who he is, where he's from, and thusly what he wants and what he will do from what he looks like. I'm using my ninja smarts after all! Ah-ha! Well let's see the mask is half black and half white, a few silver designs on the eyes, not much, and no mouth or nose, sort of reminds me of a hunter ninja mask. But no, there's no indication which village he's from and it just looks sort of like... decoration. Thiiiiiiink! ... Damn. The mask says nothing._

_Ok, what's he wearing: tight black hood covering hair, very shrewd and original, NOT! Black, slightly baggy, shirt; black, slightly baggy, ninja pants; tucked into black ninja boots… Head to toe: very black, very stereotypical ninja. LAME! Real ninjas like to wear bright colors: like a poisonous animal! Unafraid to be seen! Let people know you're dangerous and not afraid to show it! Believe it! Psssh people always ragging on my orange, what do they know?! Anyway this guy is all for anonymity... and boringness._

_Ok what __**isn't** __black? Well we've got some silver and white armor on the arms there and a white belt with all sorts of ninja goodies there… hmm I should analyze his inventory in case we battle. Well some kunai pouches, senbon, aaaand pellets? Watch out for those, don't know what they do. A few shuriken and, oh good he's getting closer, now I can get a better look at what he's got. WAIT WHAT?!"  
_

Yes, the captor had by then come to the conclusion that there was no immediate threat: the target had not gotten free of his bindings, was not planning a surprise attack from some unknown location, and was in fact simply sitting there enjoying a staring contest with his attacker for about three awkward and silent minutes. Seeing that the captive was still immobile, the attacker visibly relaxed, shoulders slumped, but then straightened up and started over to the sitting young man.

"_AHH! What do I do? He's coming! What do I do? Can I move yet?"_ He wiggled his fingers behind his back. _"Yes! Sensation is returning! But I still can't move my arms or legs: shit! Got to stall him somehow…well there's only way I know how in these situations!"  
_

"HEY YOU!"  
_"Alriiiight! Looks like my vocal cords, neck and head are working, thank god!"_

At his sudden outburst the masked assailant hesitated mid step and paused, seeming almost startled.

"WHATS THE BIG IDEA ATTACKING ME LIKE THIS AND TYING ME UP YA BASTARD?! WHAT DO YOU WANT? AND WHERE THE HELL IS MY TEAM?! I SWEAR IF YOU HURT ANY ONE OF THEM I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD! I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR LIMBS OFF AND BEAT YOU WITH THEM WHILE MAKING YOU EAT YOUR OWN EAR AND THEN-"

Before Naruto started on the next portion of his rant, his foe gave a quick nod and turned head, focusing solely on something behind Naruto's left shoulder. Curious about what could have torn attention away from one of his louder shouting bouts, Naruto turned to look back.

What he found made him have a tiny sweat drop.  
All three of his other teammates were seated there, bound and unconscious, but completely unharmed. In fact they were almost comfortable looking, sitting in a semi-circle, heads bent peacefully: to Naruto it looked as if they could have been on a picnic and fallen asleep sitting up, Sakura was even rested against a tree in the shade.

But he still recognized the fact that they **had** been attacked and were now bound and at the disposal of an unknown enemy.

* * *

Turning back around, Naruto was once again reminded of the anbu at Ichiraku's ramen stand for while he had been inspecting his teammates' condition the black wearing one had snuck up and crouched down directly in front of his face.

"AHH!" If he had been able to move Naruto would have fallen over dramatically.  
"WHAT THE HELL?! IS THAT YOUR PLAN?! HUH?! YOU GANNA DEFEAT ME BY SCARING ME TO DEATH?! NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"

While Naruto's blaring was so pronounced it even blew air through clothing, the masked captor remained unaffected and stared unnervingly into the face of the fox boy.

Suffice to say Naruto began to feel more than a little uncomfortable with the proximity of the silent one. After only seconds the figure leapt up quickly and landed fiercely.

After a tense moment Naruto believed that there might be an assault coming and tried his best to get his extremities moving, but the figure merely stretched its arms up, let them fall to the sides, and then leaned weight on one leg.

One arm crossed the chest holding onto the elbow of the other arm whose hand went to rub the bottom of the chin of a tilted head.

The stance could only be described as one thing:  
a highly over exaggerated thinking position.

Naruto was completely baffled by the masked one's behavior and set his whiskered face in an incredulous expression. His dastardly enemy with the mask now looked like a silly mime.

The captor could not comprehend how the boy had awoken so early from the fool proof, personalized, knock out needles, let alone be talking and moving.  
_"Did I aim incorrectly? No. The needle was placed directly into the mark. Did I put the wrong amount of toxin on the needle? No, never. I'm insanely careful when it comes to that, that's what makes them so perfect. Could he have built up an immunity? To a toxin I myself came up with? Not likely at all. Well maybe not an immunity, maybe he has a special ability to synthesize toxins in the body. It is a possibility."_  
Instantly the mask was in front of the blonde boy's face again: a face that was still holding a doubtful expression and an elevated eyebrow.

A glowing blue hand was raised to the blonde's chest.  
_"SHIT! I let my guard down! He's going to strike!"_Naruto winced in expectation of the coming pain, but was surprised to find that when he opened his eyes the hand was merely roaming over his upper torso glowing blue warmly: inspecting and evaluating.

"_What is he doing?"_

As the hand roamed lower it paused by his stomach. The hand's blue charka suddenly changed to an orange-red and the figure pulled back and gathered it in the center of the palm. Standing now, the silent one seemed transfixed by the glow, holding it in hand like a small flame. After a few moments of contemplation the masked one then rubbed fingers to palm extinguishing the charka in one smooth motion, yet still stared at the empty hand for a moment.  
_"So that's why he was able to nullify the toxin so quickly huh?"  
_The masked head snapped towards Naruto's direction.

_"Was that the fox's charka he just had? How did he do that? Why'd he do that? Whoa! He's looking at me again! His head turned to me so fast I'm surprised he didn't break his neck! What's wrong? Oh shit. He knows I contain the fox. What if he gives me to the Akatsuki or wants to kill me because now he knows what I hold. He's walking over. Wait! I can feel my arms and legs again! Okay, if he tries to make a move I'll hit him with a surprise attack. Dattebayo! Wait. Shit! These are charka ropes I can't get out of those! Just work around it I guess." _

The masked one stalked over and stood in front of the boy. Naruto tensed, ready to retaliate. The silent one then bent over facing him. The hand that was coming at Naruto from the side simply ruffled his blonde hair playfully then patted his head a few times as if he were some kind of puppy.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement, but before Naruto could even start to wrap his mind around the action he felt a pressure on his neck and fell into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

Naruto was swimming in a lake of ramen, riding the noodles as if they were friendly dolphins. On the shore waving to him were Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame.

"Hey old man! This is great! You've really outdone yourself this time!" Naruto yelled cheerfully.  
"Does that mean you want some more Naruto? ... Naruto... Naruto... NARUTO!"

BAM!  
"WAKE UP IDIOT!"

"Whaaa? Sakura-chan? Ahhhh! That really hurt! Whatcha do that for?!" Naruto demanded.

"You wouldn't wake up!" The pinkette defended.

She cut the ropes from around his wrist and ankles.

"EH? How'd you do that? These are chakra ropes; Kunai can't cut through them, not even an escape jutsu can get past 'em!"

"I always keep a kunai with a chakra tag on it in case of such emergencies. I modified it from the one Sasame gave me to cut you off from the Kabuto imposter that one time, remember that?"

"Oh yeeeah. Wow Sakura that's smart! You really come prepared!"

She blushed humbly.  
"Yeah, well, I have to because we seem to have this great knack for getting into trouble, now don't we?" She winked and stuck her tongue out giggling.

Naruto then surveyed his surroundings. They were still in the same clearing as before, Kakashi was untying Sai and Sakura had moved swiftly to go looking through her pack.

" HEY! WAIT A MINUTE WHATS GOING ON? WHERE'D HE GO?" Naruto started darting around, doing searching motions.

"He? You mean you actually saw our attacker?" Sai asked as he stood and rubbed his wrists.

"Yeah… I woke up and-?"  
"Hmm now what's this, I wonder?" Kakashi cut Naruto off mid sentence and peeled away a piece of paper attached to the blonde's forehead protector.

"It looks like… a note?" Sakura supplied. She then read aloud:

"DEAREST NINJA,  
I AM WRITING TO LET YOU KNOW I HAVE BORROWED YOUR SCROLLS FOR A BIT. NOT TO WORRY! I PROMISE I WILL RETURN THEM TO YOU ONCE I AM DONE WITH THEM. I ASSURE YOU THEY ARE PERFECTLY SAFE AND THAT NO HARM WILL COME TO THEM! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND MY DEEPEST APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.  
YOURS TRULY,  
-THIEF"

There was a collective sweat drop.

Sakura blinked rapidly in confusion and then reread it.

Naruto stood with his mouth gaping open.

Kakashi sighed and pondered.

And Sai just smiled.


	2. Suprise, Suprise

"HE STUCK A NOTE TO MY FOREHEAD LIKE I WAS SOME KIND OF HUMAN BULLETIN BOARD!? WHAT THE HECK KIND OF THEIF LEAVES A NOTE?!"

Of course, leave it to Naruto to break the baffled silence.

"The kind that has stolen our scrolls." replied Kakashi offhandedly. He then bit his thumb, made a couple of hand signs, and placed his hand on the ground.

A poof sounded off.  
"What's up Kakashi?" the small dog inquired automatically, emerging from the clouds.

"Hey Pakkun, I wanted to see if you could pick up a scent off of this piece of paper for me."  
Kakashi held the note up to the pug's face. The little black nose twitched in investigation then the canine pulled back and closed his eyes.

"Sorry Kakashi, no such luck, there's nothing to smell but generic ink and paper."

Kakashi sighed tiredly.  
_"Our enemy is toying with us, and covering his tracks pretty well. He brought us all down with ease in a surprise attack that not even I was able to detect: the guy is skilled. This is not going to be easy."  
_  
"Aa. Thanks anyway Pakkun, that's all I needed."

"No problem. Good luck." With that the dog disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Looks like we're doing this the old fashioned way: we'll spread out in each direction using shadow clones and ink creatures to cover the most ground in searching for signs of the enemy's trail. Sakura, you go north; Sai, take the south; Naruto, east; and I'll head west. When the target is located the clone or ink being will then return to the original and relay the location to the rest of us. Remain completely concealed and do **not** engage until we all assemble."

A collective "Hai" resounded.

"Okay Naruto, now tell us what we're looking for: what does our enemy look like?" Kakashi asked the teen.

The blonde rubbed his chin.  
"Let's see… he wore all black and wore a mask… and…uh… heh-heh, that's about it!"

"That's it." Sakura stared at him blankly. "He's wearing black and a mask... Well that narrows it down to only about every ninja in the world." She sighed dejectedly, slumping her shoulders.

"The mask is half white and half black with silver marks on the eyes. Trust me you'll know him when you see him, okay?" Naruto replied defensively.

"It's fine, we have the general idea. Here are your earpieces, radio in once you've made visual." Kakashi ordered.

They each created their clones and ascended swiftly into the trees.

* * *

One of Sai's ink birds was the first to catch a sight of their foe.

"I've picked up signs of the enemy- fixed, at forty degrees south, south-west. Awaiting further order."  
Sai softly transmitted over the intercom.

"You've made visual already? Keep your position. Remain distanced from the mark but keep a cloaked animal observing the enemy for any indication of action. Sakura, Naruto, meet at Sai's location. Be cautious." Kakashi commanded.

The four ninja met up soundlessly.  
"The target is fifty meters to our right at a stand still." Sai supplied quietly.

"I say our best bet would be to take a page out of this guy's book and shock him with a sneak attack of our own! Get a taste of his own medicine!" It was funny to see how Naruto could whisper yet still be yelling excitedly at the same time.

"Agreed. And with all of us here we would be able to surround him, he would have no escape." Sakura added.

"So we're clear? You three go up into the trees around the clearing and watch for my signal." Kakashi uttered.  
They nodded.

* * *

The masked figure was now lounging on its back in the middle of a small grassy meadow holding a scroll above its face reading. It was a tranquil posture: lying down, one leg bent, the other crossed over it with a foot waving absently in the air, and the masked head was rested on the second scroll like a pillow.

It looked like someone who was just relaxing and reading the morning newspaper in bed instead of a thief who had stolen sacred scrolls and was now being hunted down by high level ninja.

The scroll was being pulled out further to read the last line when the masked one rolled rapidly to the left as Kakashi's fist came rocketing out from underground where the masked opponent's head was laying only milliseconds ago.

As the black clad one was rolling into a crouching position and tucking away the scrolls, Sakura flew from her tree at the left with a chakra filled fist in one hand and a kunai ready to be thrown in the other. The shadowy one then leapt to the right to avoid the attack but had to twist midair to barely avoid the kunai she had thrown in anticipation of his dodge.

As the thief twisted, sharp eyes noted the explosive tag that had been attached and was about to embed itself into the tree a foot away from the thief. So the black bandit twisted further to get down and push off from the ground in order to jump to safety, but Sakura's power packed punch had cracked the ground where the black booted foot was going to immediately push off from.

With the ground having shaken the footing, the acceleration from the first jump throwing off the balance, and the force from the explosion redirecting it: the leap to safety was not as precise as the masked one would have preferred and was now soaring directly towards a sword held at the ready by a pale boy who had jumped down with a serious expression marring his face.

In order to stop from ramming into the sword their opponent adjusted to a kneeling position, knees sliding on the ground, and immediately bent backwards falling centimeters below the blade. The masked one instinctively at the same time had kicked out a leg effectively taking Sai's footing, having him fall forward.

The masked individual rolled to the side to avoid the descending young man only to be met by a series of fists coming at its person from multiple directions by several Naruto clones.  
"_This just keeps getting easier and easier doesn't it?" _The thief mused sarcastically. _"I thought this would be going a lot smoother."_

The right gloved hand grabbed the closest fist of a blonde clone and pulled it in front of another clone's punch, as the left arm of the thief lifted its arm guard to fend off the incoming attack from the other side.

The rival used the momentum of the arm guard's hit to push away from the crowd of incoming Narutos, skimming over the ground. The masked one detected a presence coming up from behind and flipped over, a now above ground, Kakashi who was lunging a kunai at the point the figure had been sliding on before.  
_"They out number me and they're better than I thought, I need to get off the defensive and start thinking of a way to shake them." _The masked one landed behind Kakashi, but a flash of pink was coming from the side armed with a series of shuriken to throw, so the silent character sprung backward to avoid the pointy objects, clutching onto the middle of a tree trunk.  
The kunoichi saw this and lunged towards the target with super strength as said target pushed off into the air to avoid the trunk shattering fist that had now created splinters of an old oak.

"_Ok now I've got a plan. It's brilliant! Brilliant!"_

Now flying through the air the masked one was dodging punches and kicks being thrown by Sai, Naruto, and his clones. The thief then leapfrogged: pulling a Naruto clone down to launch off its back propelling towards an empty end of the small clearing.

Plunging through the air, the enemy did a series of hand signs then turned around in order to face the four adversaries. It was noted that they had all recovered from their attacks and were now heading in the direction of where their prey was about to land.

* * *

The black wearing individual landed then straightened up, making to pull something out from behind the back.

All four now rushing their foe took notice and had the same line of thought as they moved in:

"_What is he going to take out? Should we proceed?"  
_  
_"Possibilities: explosive, kunai, fuma shuriken, poison gas-"_

_"Probably a smoke bomb to escape because he knows he's out numbered. He hasn't even taken the chance to get on the offensive. There is no way to win this battle- he will run. But we can't be too sure, it could be anything… "_

_"DANG! He's not even using anything on that stupid belt that I saw. He just __**has**__ to take something out from __**behind**__ his back that I didn't get a look at!"  
_

The figure pulled out the item…

HOOOOOOOOOONK!

...

It was an air horn.

All the opponents stopped dead in their tracks.

The masked figured was cringing against a tree, shaking its head back and forth, and waving its hands frantically in the air in front of it in surrender. The silent one made the "time-out" sign with gloved hands and continued to cower and wave in a panicked motion.

Naruto thought of a mime again and sweat dropped.  
The rest of the team just stood there, at a loss as to what was going on.

The mask peeked up and, seeing the group halted, straightened. A pointer finger was raised and the foe searched for something at the back of the belt again, seeming to say "hold on one moment please."

Team Kakashi was frozen in puzzlement.

The black clad one then pulled out the two scrolls.  
The team's focus was now set and determined again.

The mime-esque individual crouched down like a frog and set the scrolls on the ground…

The Konoha ninja watched with rapt attention…

…

A scroll was then gently pushed so it rolled across the ground and slowly made its way to tap Kakashi's sandaled foot… then the next one…

…

Kakashi just stared down at the scrolls at his feet.

All any of them could do was just stare in pure bewilderment.

The masked one stood up from the crouched position jauntily and clapped gloved hands together as if getting rid of some invisible dirt. The odd individual then went to make a large step away while making a chipper salute of departure. The actions implied something along the lines of: "Heyyy! Problem solved! See ya soon pal!"

* * *

The figure slipped around the tree, slumped shoulders, and made a sigh of relief. The thief then looked up and put a foot forward to start to leave…

Kakashi was right in front, staring down the would-be escapee, and the three others stood behind him with looks of annoyance. The thief stiffened and leaned back on the heels of the boots, an electric current of shock across the body visibly running up and down.

The "bad guy" then drooped the masked head down in defeat and held arms out, wrists together. It was a position of surrender that said: "Ya got me copper. Lay the cuffs on me."

Kakashi then warily pulled out some chakra strings and wound them around the outstretched wrists, tying them securely.

Sai and Naruto took their prisoner by each shoulder and the group started walking back towards their original route.  
"Ha! Looks like the tables have turned eh? First we were your captives, and now you're ours!" Naruto happily remarked.  
The masked figure stayed as hushed as always and stared straight ahead solemnly.

They all walked for about two minutes in silence…

POOF!

"WHAT?! A REPLACEMENT JUTSU?! SERIOUSLY?!"

But it wasn't your everyday replacement log, oh no.  
Sai and Naruto were now holding a mini plushie version of the thief: equipped with the same outfit and mask but its silver eyes were now winking and instead of no mouth it had a tiny red cloth tongue sticking out at them.

* * *

The thief vaguely heard what sounded like a yell of exasperation from a ways away and picked up speed while passing through the trees, smiling smugly beneath the mask.


	3. Let's Dance

The thief felt chakra signatures coming up from behind with speed.

"_Hmm? They're still trying to follow me? Why? I gave them their scrolls back. I've got my information, they still have their scrolls: it's a win, win situation. Well, more like a win, and no loss situation, but they should have just left it at that. I was hoping we could avoid this, but oh well. Let's dance."_

The group of four was moving swiftly through the tress in pursuit of their fugitive.

"We no longer have the element of surprise at our disposal-"

"a great help that was last time anyway" mumbled a disgruntled Naruto.

"-so we are just going to have to face him head on. This time, no matter what he does, do not let your guard down; it was a foolish mistake to be distracted by his behavior in our last encounter." Kakashi continued, ignoring Naruto's comment.

"This guy is so weird! One minute he's all serious and ninja'd to the max then the next he's clowning around! What's with this guy?!"

"Sort of reminds me of a certain hyperactive ninja I know." Sakura replied eyeing Naruto.

"His abnormal antics are strangely strategic. For example we were not able to recognize the unique replacement jutsu." Sai thought aloud.

"Yeah, at first I thought it was just a weird doll meant to immaturely taunt us, but it was able to throw us off such a basic jutsu by having physical similarities matching the original. It was even weighted to feel like a real person. The jutsu only fell because the user got out of range to control it." Sakura added.

"We mistook his peculiarity as weakness so we underestimated him, thus we were fooled and he got away. We will not make the same mistake again." Kakashi concluded.

A few moments passed as they continued to tree hop.

"Huh…"

"What's up Naruto?" Sakura inquired.

"He did what he said he would."

"What do you mean?"

"In the note: he said he'd give us back the scrolls and he **actually** did. Think about it. We just assumed he was lying in the note so we went after him automatically to get them back because it's our mission to deliver the scrolls safely.  
But he really **did** give them back, even **after** he had escaped! That means he had the intention to do it all along. So it's almost like… like he planned the whole thing: being found, feigning defeat, returning the scrolls, and then escaping. He totally anticipated our surprise attack, we barely fought for like two minutes, and I don't think he was even scratched. All this leads me to my next question…"

"Which is?" Kakashi asked now pondering his student's insightful deduction and truly interested in one of Naruto's rare moments of profound thought.

"Uhh… why are we chasing him again?"

* * *

So much for profound thought.

"..."

"I mean don't get me wrong! I'm not objecting or anything, I'm totally down to kick some butt! But we **do** have the scrolls back and they **are** safe, just like he said! Our mission is the safe delivery of the scrolls to and from Kumogakure: we can still complete our mission and go back to Konoha. He didn't really hurt any of us physically. (Though my ego's a little bruised from us being tricked in such a lame way) But other than that, no harm no foul, right?"

Kakashi sighed.  
"Wrong. If it were that simple as that then yes, **maybe** we could let him go. But the sad fact is: he has **read** the scrolls and that is just as bad. He now carries with him stolen information from our village. He could use it against us or provide it to our enemies and they would try to use it against us. A major factor is the fact that the scrolls symbolize the growing trust between the two villages. If the scrolls information were to be leaked, it would break that trust and Kumogakure could see it as an insult."

"I see. What kind of information was in the scrolls?" Naruto asked gravely.

"A suggested outline of a substantial trade agreement between our nations in one and the other had a couple of lower level jutsu we shared with a small selection of their shinobi."

"We let them know some of our village's jutsu sensei?" Sakura asked in genuine surprise.

"Yes, but only lesser ones though and to a specific selection of ninja. They too have shared a couple of theirs. It's actually a very plain but effective trust exercise used between countries becoming close: if either side's jutsu spreads noticeably beyond the ninja assigned, then it can determine if the village is really serious about their relations and should be trusted, but since it's just low level jutsu, to lose it's secrecy would not be too devastating."

"Huh… like telling a secret to a friend just to see if they can keep that secret. It's a test to see if they are worthy of your friendship and faith." Sakura reflected.

"To put it in the simplest terms, I suppose, yeah." Kakashi chuckled.

"Okay you said "what if they share it with our enemies." If it's just a basic jutsu that's not so bad right?" Naruto asked.

"Like I said, the enemy's aim might not be specific information, but could be to break the bonds of friendship growing among the countries: taking away a possible ally and making Konoha weaker in the process. So do you see the importance of making sure we capture the thief now?"

"Yeah, I guess." Naruto said, seeming a little distracted_.  
"I never thought much about it before, but I guess these are the types of things I will have to consider when I am Hokage- the political relationships between lands and the outcomes of each of our actions."_

Naruto took on a new look of determination and pumped himself up for the imminent confrontation with new enthusiasm.

Kakashi saw the resolve on his face.  
"Good. Now we're coming up on the target, get ready. We still have the upper hand by outnumbering him but he has proven himself to be skilled and it's more than likely he knows that we have caught up to him."

* * *

The shadowy one jumped down from a branch and landed in a kneeling position, then stood slowly and purposely, looking collected.

_"Here we are then. I think this will turn out to be an interesting experience."_ The thief thought with a small smile.

A low growling sound was heard from the side as one of Sai's ink tigers languidly prowled around a tree. Walking out from the opposite side of the same tree was the artist himself.

Sakura emerged from the shadows of a young maple tree in the opposite direction.

In front of a tree to her far left, stood Kakashi who had descended effortlessly from his hiding place on an upper branch.

Lastly came Naruto, stepping out proudly from behind a willow across from his sensei.

The thief was surrounded. They all stood still and silent, staring attentively at the one in the center of their formation. The masked marauder kept steady under their collective gaze and simply took in the scene that was unfolding.

It was Sakura who finally broke the deafening quiet.

"As shinobi of the village hidden in the leaves, we hereby place you under arrest for the theft and interception of information obtained from confidential scrolls. If you do not cooperate and try to resist we will not hesitate to take any action necessary against you. Do you understand?"

The thief who had been staring directly ahead at Kakashi now turned head calmly to the side to regard her. The perpetrator nodded once in her direction as acknowledgement.

The group cautiously began to close in.  
The thief took a step back away from Kakashi.  
The group tensed, ready for chase or battle, but continued their enclosure.  
The thief backed farther away from the team leader in what appeared to be desperate and fearful deliberation of escape.  
The accused continued to back up hesitantly, but the action was deemed futile for they all knew Naruto was closing in from behind as well. They were still edging closer to the thief…

A missive boom reverberated in the forest.  
The ground where Kakashi had set foot was sent exploding into the air creating a cloud of dirt.

* * *

A few moments ago:

When the thief had sensed their presences starting on a path to surround, the bandit had made sure to end their chase there by landing on the ground in a kneeling position in a small clearing.

With the upper body shrouding the ground from view, the thief simultaneously placed and hid a small land mine in front of the landing spot, then stood carefully as not to detonate the bomb.

Then, while backing up slowly, pretending to be afraid, not only was the thief getting away from the blast area but positioning Kakashi's advance onto the trap as well.

* * *

Present:

Kakashi flew back several feet.  
With the dust flying in the air and clouding their vision the Konoha shinobi were caught off guard.  
Naruto, being the closest to their adversary, was kicked squarely in the stomach, sending him careening backwards into a tree.  
Sai and Sakura jumped apart and away from the offending dust cloud just as Naruto was sent flying.  
The thief then jumped into the air above the cloud, tossed a smoke bomb in Sai's direction, made a series of hand signs, and lunged in Sakura's direction while taking off a glove.

She was just able to block and then they started rapid hand to hand combat.

Surprisingly, Sakura's inhumanly speedy and chakra powered fists were being systematically blocked by the opponent's armguards and they were neither shattering them nor the bones beneath.  
It felt as if the armor was absorbing the blows' force and pushing it against her.

But she could not dwell on this phenomenon, for just then a hand went swiping towards her face. She skillfully dodged by moving her head to the right, but felt the tiniest bit of ungloved skin grazed her neck.

She let out a small scream.

* * *

Meanwhile during Sakura and the masked foe's quick skirmish:

Sai dizzily worked his way out of the smoke, which had had some kind of drugging effect, by grabbing onto his ink creature and getting pulled away.

Kakashi was regaining his awareness and footing, but he had a sharp pain in his calf where bits of rock and earth had ripped into the flesh of the leg that had stepped on the mine. There was a strange mixture of mud and blood dripping down his limb, but the cuts were not bone deep and he was going to push himself to fight through the pain.  
Apparently the shallow mine was not intended to be a lethal trap but more of a form of distraction.

Naruto was just recovering from his crash into the tree and about to find out where the fight had moved to when he heard Sakura's scream.

"SAKURA!" Naruto snapped his head in the direction the noise had come from.

_"Mistake."_

* * *

After touching Sakura's neck, effectively causing her to scream, the black clad individual darted away from her and slightly in Naruto's direction.

The thief had witnessed the blonde's immediate concern and reaction to the kunoichi's state in the very first attack on the group with the poison needles, and had concocted a plan to use that knowledge against him.

As Naruto's head snapped in the direction of Sakura's distress, he was distracted and the masked assailant threw a number of knock out needles into the kyubi boy's now open and exposed neck.

A dismayed and disbelieving:"Nooouhh!" was all Naruto could choke out while falling to his knees: eyes wide, and grasping at the needles. He then fell face down into the dust slipping miserably into unconsciousness.

_"One down."_


	4. Fears

Naruto was laying in a shallow pool of blood.

He was on the ground in front of the village gates, his glazed eyes staring lifelessly into the darkened sky. Streams of deep crimson were spiraled down his once cheerful face.

There was smoke billowing from the remains of houses and fire was erupting everywhere, all that could be heard were the pained screams of civilians as they burned.

Sai was laying face down only feet away from Naruto. His torso had been sliced clean through and his hand was still clutching his ink brush as if he had tried to make one last attempt at defense before meeting his end.

Kakashi was farther up the road: he was in a sitting position, his back resting against a crumbling wall that had smeared blood across it from where his body slid down. His head was slumped downward and there was a round hole in his chest where his heart should have been.  
_"He's dead.  
They're all dead."_

Sakura couldn't breathe. She wanted so desperately to do anything, anything at all, but she could not even breathe.  
It felt as if their deaths had taken her life away as well.

A loud explosion down the road snapped her back to reality and drew her attention.

She glanced up to find that Tsunade had just knocked through a wall and was stumbling forward.

"Shisou!"

Sakura did not understand how she could call out, when she could not even breathe, but she couldn't help but do so as the most minuscule piece of relief possible leaked through her immeasurable panic and grief.

Tsunade turned to look at her. She was in bad shape. Her Hokage robes were torn, and though she had already released her healing seal, she was bleeding profusely. Sakura could tell that she had been defending her village with every particle of her being.

Tsunade stared at her in disbelief, as if she was seeing a ghost.

It grew eerily still as the two faced each other.

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak:  
"Sak-!"

She was cut short and her eyes widened in shock as a blade thrust out of her stomach.  
Tsunade was gasping shakily and clutched her fatal wound.

Sakura's mind could not comprehend what was going on: everything was a blur around her except for the face of her mentor and it was as if life had been set in slow motion.

Tsunade's eyes drifted closed. It was an agonizing eternity as Sakura watched her Hokage, her teacher, her dear friend, and her mother figure, descend slowly through the air and collide with the bloodstained earth.

Sakura couldn't handle it. She was too lost, too hurt. The village had fallen, everyone she loved was dead, and she could do nothing to stop it. She fell to her knees with tears flowing from her eyes and stared at her hands, unable to cope with what had occurred.

_"Why… how could this happen… how did this happen… what happened… who could possibly do this to us…  
…to me.  
I am alone now.  
I'm the only one left."  
_  
But she was not alone. Sakura sensed someone approaching her.

The answers to all her questions were given as she lifted her head.

Sharingan gazed at her emotionlessly.  
She was incapable of tearing her eyes away from the boy she once loved.

Sakura screamed.

She could feel her heart ripping itself viciously into oblivion inside of her chest.

It was real, physical, pain.

She was screaming.

There was nothing else. Nothing in the world but the sound of her own screams and the feeling of a pain too great for words.

She was still screaming: she felt as if she would be trapped forever just screaming.

But now, through her screams, she heard the distant voice of her hysteric thoughts:  
_"__**NO**__! No, no, no, no, no! This can't be real! This isn't real! It can't be! This is just a dream, a nightmare, a genjutsu! It __**has**__ to be a genjutsu! __**Please**__ be a genjutsu! __**PLEASE**__! __**RELEASE!**__"_The pain and echoes of her screams started to die down.

It really was a genjutsu.  
Sakura's desperate denial had found an escape from her personal hell.

_"KAI!"_The horrors slowly began to fade into comforting darkness and her thoughts developed a soothing mantra:  
_  
"Kai! It isn't real!  
Kai! It isn't real.  
Kai. It isn't real.  
Kai. It isn't real…"_

She was steadily calming her mind and pulling herself back into consciousness, but before she reached the light of her opening eyes, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered icily:  
_"… but it could be."_

* * *

In the world beyond the genjutsu: the only evidence of what Sakura had been through was a small, pain-riddled scream that escaped from her normally resilient emotional conditioning as a ninja and the fact that she had collapsed onto her knees.

Naruto had recognized that terrible pain in his friend's voice, however fleeting the yell had been, and it was his natural response to try to locate and protect his comrade from all that would cause her harm. He had automatically turned his head concentrating only on that goal.

The manner in which Naruto had made himself vulnerable to attack was not considered weak or foolish in the eyes of their opponent, only compassionate and honorable.

_"But honor and compassion do not often win battles."_ The thief thought with regret.

It was ruthless to take advantage of his opponent's concern, the thief knew this, but also knew that in battle, one could not let conscience cloud the will to prevail.

_"In true combat there is only now. Only calculation, blood, pain, tactic, strength, power, and instinct: only what it will take to win. There is little time for other concerns."_

These thoughts made the masked one scowl in distaste.

_"Exactly why I have learned to avoid it, and exactly why I will end this fight as soon as possible."_

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Sakura's head was swimming. Her knees buckled beneath her and she sat in a daze. She could not get over what she had just witnessed.

The images flashed through her mind over and over, refusing, no matter how hard she tried, to be pushed away, her head was aching from the mental strain of it all.

_"No! It was just a genjutsu! Snap out of it Sakura! You were just hit with a genjutsu! Get up! Stop being so weak and move! There's still an enemy out here! Get yourself together and help your team!"_

In an admirable display of strength of willpower, Sakura jumped up in an offensive stance and was ready to join the fray, but then she saw it.

Naruto was on the ground, motionless.

She was momentarily paralyzed with fear as the first hauntingly vivid image of her nightmare flooded her vision.

_"No. Naruto couldn't have gone down. Impossible. It's not another genjutsu is it? No."_

This was reality, but in reality, when Sakura sees a fallen comrade, she does not just stand in confusion. In reality she was a trained medical ninja who would stop at nothing to save her loved ones. She ran to his side with fearsome speed while Kakashi and Sai were busy battling their adversary.

She knew he was not dead of course, she had known that even from her distance before.  
But the image in her mind was doing nothing but pumping cold terror into her veins as she examined her friend.

_"He_'s _been hit with the same incapacitating toxin from before, but there are at least five needles now, he'll be down for a while unless I extract it."_

Sakura had just gathered her green healing chakra when a shout was cried out.  
"SAKURA!"

The pinkette spun around at Kakashi's warning to find their assailant soaring at her with a kunai.

She pulled out her own and proceeded to block fiercely but her response time was a bit slow due to the after effects of the genjutsu.

* * *

The two were locked in close hand to hand combat.  
Each was blocking the other's blows skillfully.

_"So she's a medic-nin. That was close. She could undo all the progress I've made in this fight; I have to take her out next. Except it is three to one still, those other two will be attacking me as well. How can I better my odds… I've got it."  
_

_"Damn, taijutsu isn't working, my reaction time is a little slow, and if he's close enough to touch me he could put that genjutsu on me again and that will be the end. I've got to retreat."_Sakura went to pull back from their scuffle but the masked one grabbed her arm and threw a fist at her so she had to stay and block.

Just then an ink tiger came lunging at the masked one with claws out.  
The thief pulled Sakura further and changed the angle of their position: now it was the kunoichi who was in the line of fire.  
The tiger's claws ripped into the side of her arm and she let out a hiss of pain.

The bandit was using her as a human shield from the other's attacks, once again exploiting the concern for her well being and making sure the others kept their distance.

"Sai, hold back! You could hit Sakura!" Kakashi barked.

His Sharingan eye, now in use, was noting how the thief was keeping up with Sakura's hits while still maintaining a close proximity and control over where she moved.

He now needed a way to either part them or find a way to hit their opponent without damaging their teammate.

He decided that both he and Sai would attack simultaneously. Kakashi and a shadow clone of Sai would make it look like they were going in for an attack, the foe would then push her around and use Sakura as a shield, but Kakashi would anticipate this and hold back as to not hurt her.

The real Sai would then be coming up from behind in secret to finish the enemy off while the thief was occupied with blocking what appeared to be the two shinobi.

Kakashi motioned this to Sai, while keeping a strict eye on the masked one and Sakura's battle, and he nodded.

They went in to implement their strategy. Kakashi and the Sai clone were coming up, kunai held at the ready, to the back of their foe who was still locked in furious combat with Sakura.

The opponent felt the presences coming from behind and made to block by grabbing Sakura's left shoulder and pushing her towards the two. However, midway through the push, while blocking a punch from Sakura with the right armguard, the thief saw they were lunging with kunai only and a bit hesitantly.

The thief simply broke apart from the block and used the same right armguard to knock to the side the incoming kunai attacks. At the same time the thief pulled Sakura back to her original position with the left arm so she would be a bit further and wouldn't be able to get a hit in as fast while the masked one blocked Kakashi's attempt.

The thief had unknowingly pulled Sakura back into the target area, back facing an already lunging Sai.

Kakashi's eyes went wide.

Sai's mind wanted to stop but his body was still in mid thrust, aiming directly at Sakura's spine.

The thief saw this scene out of peripheral vision and muscles acted instinctively: using the arm that was still holding Sakura to push her forward again.

All participants watched as the blade went swiping through a small gap in between Sakura and the thief.

Kakashi and Sai marveled: the masked one had actually pushed Sakura to safety.  
Sakura was just registering the fact that a sword had been about to impale her.

Using this moment of shock the masked individual swiftly raised the gloved hand off her left shoulder, proceeded to hit the pressure point at the side of her neck, and jumped away as she fell.

_"Two down."_


	5. Fire Starter

Two of his teammates had been incapacitated.

Kakashi needed to get serious.

No more simple attacks with kunai, clones, and fists.

They all had delayed using any serious techniques for the first portion of battle in hopes of conserving energy and chakra and to gage their opponents strength, but seeing how fast the two of his former students were down; Kakashi knew he no longer had that luxury.

He was plagued with regret for not initiating with more advanced techniques in the first place. As team leader he felt as if he had let his teammates down, now they only outnumbered their opponent two to one.

_"This guy is using every possible opening and leaving no room for mistakes: no movement is unnecessary, and not a moment is wasted. He has taken down two skilled shinobi within the first few minutes of battle and I have already sustained a debilitating injury from that land mine._"

The thief stood in the center of the clearing, Kakashi and Sai on opposite ends; the centered individual held arms stretched out towards each of them a kunai in each hand, moving as they moved to avoid blind spots between the two.

Sai now understood the gravity of their situation and was the fist to make a move. He whipped out his ink brush, drew an awe inspiring dragon, and did a series of complicated hand signs. The thief gulped at the size of the monster that emerged,then shot into the trees as the animated sketch lunged instantaneously and forcefully dug razor sharp black teeth into the spot where the masked one once stood. The dragon was not deterred yet however and recovered quickly flying upwards into the tree tops.

As the thief danced between trees and flipped onto branches the dragon snaked swiftly behind and followed its prey dauntingly, snapping and twisting viciously to attack.

Kakashi and Sai followed behind staying clear of the path of destruction Sai's massive creature was leaving in its wake.

This had to be one of Sai's most powerful jutsu and it was showing: it was nearly invincible. It was at a high price though, for Sai was drained of chakra by bringing his masterpiece to life: it was slowing him down considerably and he probably wouldn't be able to do many other jutsu in this battle.

But the way things were looking, it wouldn't matter soon: though the thief was inhumanly fast, the ink monster had been made with immense effort and skill giving it perfect aerodynamics and increasing speed, it was gradually catching up to their suspect inch by inch.

The thief was now running on the ground and darting between tree trunks, having given up trying to maneuver the predator through the air and into the thick branches in an attempt stall it, seeing as the beast just seemed to smash through them with ease. The thief tried to throw kunai and some shuriken but nothing was having an effect on the great ink being. Even a small bomb just created an insignificant gash in its side, and it only seemed to anger the monstrosity.

_"GAH! It's just ink for heavens sake! Why the hell won't the big sucker just die already?!"_ The thief thought in frustration.

* * *

(Suggested Listening: The Progidy- Fire Starter)

The thief darted to the right quickly, avoiding a tree with only a gloved hand grazing the surface. The dragon lightly scratched its sharp scales on the trunk, but followed suit heading to the right.

The thief then ran up a tree and jumped off of it to the right again, the dragon hit the tree cracking it before continuing to pursue its target.

The thief ran at another tree then pushed off the trunk to the right again, this time the beast had missed the trunk entirely and continued to advance getting alarmingly close to its objective, ink teeth bared and dripping with malice.

The thief ran to a tree again, but this time the thief did hand signs and somehow seemed to move through the tree. The dragon, only focusing on its target, smashed directly into it.

But the beast was not destroyed, it was far too strong to be brought down by a simple tree trunk, and the thief had run full circle: the dragon's tail came whipping out at the foe.

The masked one just barely lifted up the white and silver arm guards in an X in front of it as the black tail attempted to smash its opponent's chest.

The force of the blow sent the thief flying backwards but as the foe was soaring, a kunai was launched at the very first tree that the dragon had scratched.

The knife had a burning explosive tag attached to it. There were large explosive tags attached to every tree the masked one had touched. The thief had run in a large circle subsequently surrounding the long monster with exploding tags and the creature had successfully knocked the masked one out of the blast area.

The ring of trees went off in succession engulfing the ink in an inferno. The resulting explosion was so intense it pushed the already flying thief even faster through the air. The masked one threw shuriken attached with some wire strings and wrapped around a tree just outside the blast area, tugged them securely effectively slowing down the acceleration of the flight, and flipped around bracing legs for the impact of an upcoming tree.

The thief landed forcefully on a tree trunk, some of the bark splintering under the pressure, and stood up horizontal to the ground with chakra enlaced feet.

* * *

There was a soft almost inaudible whistling of something slicing through the air. The masked one did a back flip higher onto the tree trunk as Sai's sword came swooping around from behind the tree and lodged itself into the wood where the thief once stood.

The masked dark figure held on with gloved hands and swung itself around the trunk aiming both feet at Sai's head but the shinobi ducked down scarcely avoiding the hit.

The masked one was about to pull a leg down and kick him in the back of the head when multiple shuriken came soaring directly at the masked head. The thief had to release the hold on the tree and use the momentum from the earlier assault on Sai to get out of the way.

The thief was on the ground again, dodging and flipping, Sai was pulling his sword out of the tree and Kakashi was in the canopy launching weaponry attacks from above.

The silent one grabbed a kunai that Kakashi had thrown just in time to block Sai's incoming sword.

_"Poor kid, that jutsu he did must have taken a lot out of him; he's much slower than when we fought before. Who wouldn't be? I've got to hand it to him: that enormous dragon jutsu nearly caught up to me at one point, and that's really saying something._" The thief thought sympathetically.

Then using that slower pace against him, the thief rallied Sai's sword attack then punched him in square in the face: breaking his nose and sending blood dripping down his pretty little emotionless face.

_"It's so funny how we can be thinking one way and act the exact opposite at the same time."_ The individual smiled cheekily beneath the dual colored mask.

Kakashi had just jumped down from his tree as Sai was punched.

_"I told you to hold back Sai. We presumed he let his guard down during that harsh landing and was still recovering from his battle, but no. You are still weak from your last attack. You should have held back." _

He was running over when Sai's next sword lunge was parried roughly and his sword went flying in Kakashi's direction.

"_But then I thought we might have the upper hand attacking from multiple vantage points but it didn't work. I should have stopped you. I should have gone in. This is my doing."_

He had to jump out of the way of the airborne blade but was still closing in as he saw Sai block one hand of their opponent but was too slow for the other and got hit on the side of the neck.

_"Three down. One to go."_

Kakashi was still running at his opponent as Sai started to slump down.

The thief knew he was coming and spun the unconscious Sai around and held the kunai threateningly at the young man's neck.

Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks.

* * *

The thief slowly held out an index finger and waved it back and forth and shook the masked head.

For the first time, the masked one made a sound.  
Just an indistinct sound,  
but it was clear that it was a sound of disapproval.

"Tut- tut- tut"

To Kakashi it was the worst thing the masked one could have done.  
It left his mind open for interpretation and he was silently condemning himself with implied words:  
_"No, no, no foolish man. Stop right there. You should have known better than to let your comrades fall and become vulnerable. Now you will have to pay the price."_

The two stood there in silence staring at each other.  
_  
_Kakashi was trying to think of a way out of this.

His thoughts went over their battle so far: looking at every movement he had caught with his Sharingan and for any weaknesses his enemy had.

Then it dawned on him as he looked at Sai in his life threatening position:  
no one in his team had ever been in any real danger.

Everyone who had gone down so far was only knocked out, and the thief never used lethal attacks: the only time anyone had been in true life threatening danger during their battle was Sakura, it wasn't by the thief's hand, **and** their opponent even saved her from what could have been a fatal wound.

That was it.

Kakashi relaxed slighlty.

"You don't want to do it. You won't do it."  
He said calmly and took a step forward.

Underneath the mask the thief's eyes narrowed.  
A thin line of blood dripped down Sai's neck and the masked head cocked to the side as if to say "Are you so sure about that?"

Kakashi paused in his advance. He had to hesitate because in all honesty, well, no, he wasn't so sure. It was just a deduction from what he had seen, but what did he really know about the opponent in front of him? Maybe he just preferred not to kill but was perfectly fine with it when it comes down to it.

_"Well it was worth a shot. Now we're right back at a stand still again."_ Kakashi thought dejectedly.

They stood there waiting for the other to make a move.

"Okay you have the upper hand. You have my teammate as a bargaining chip. So what do you want?" Kakashi supplied and waited for an answer.

The masked one had resumed being as talkative as always and just stood there staring.  
Oh yes, the masked one was the champion at staring contests.

* * *

Minutes passed. Tense, quiet, painful, minutes.

Kakashi silently wondered if the masked one had somehow done a replacement jutsu and left it to just stand there but, with his Sharingan uncovered now, Kakashi knew that this was real.

_"Okay so he caught my bluff and this is obviously going nowhere fast. As fun as this has been, I am done."_  
The thief thought with an air of finality.

The thief then suddenly threw Sai's entire body at the leaf Jounin.

Kakashi caught the teen with little effort but was a bit taken aback.  
Simultaneously the thief darted forward and to the side, took out the largersenbon needles from the belt, and threw them at Kakashi.  
He moved quickly but not fast enough, one of the needles hit his injured leg. Although no longer bleeding heavily it was exposed and hurt dearly when it was hit.

Kakashi set Sai down, concluding that he would be safe and that his first assumption about the mostly silent individual had been correct, seeing as the enemy had given up the hostage. He tore the needle out brutally and then turned to face his adversary with resolve.

The silent one stood still coolly.

Kakashi was sprinting at him when an excruciating pain erupted from his leg.

He let out a grunt of pain and grasped at his limb.

It felt like there was acid seeping into all the cuts in his leg and setting fire to the muscles bellow.  
Something had been in that senbon.

Kakashi pushed through the blinding pain and continued on his way to attack, he did hand signs.

"CHIDORI!"

The masked one watched closely as the leaf shinobi ripped through the ground with his hand and ran at his opponent.

As he was attacking more waves of massive pain were rushing up his leg but he was set on his goal.

The thief dodged his attacks jumping back and twisting, being sure to evade the raging blue electricity radiating off of the ninja's hand.

The black clad individual then swiftly grabbed Kakashi's upper arm and twisted. It snapped. The electricity receded.

Kakashi kept fighting. He refused to go down.

The thief almost took pity on him: although most of his face was covered with the mask, Kakashi's pain was visible. His eyes were telling and he faltered every so often in his attacks as a new set of pain charged through his leg wound.

The thief understood that pain. It was terrible: the masked individual was the self appointed test subject during the creation of the substance.

Kakashi felt as if his leg were disintegrating as he fought, he could almost feel his bone being exposed as the senbon's agent ate through his skin. What was worse: the more he fought and pushed the more it seemed to pump through his blood and into his leg.

He had to push away and chanced a quick glance down to see how much damage was done: it was just foaming a little in a yellowish color but looked virtually the same.

Unfortunately, the glance was all his opponent needed: the thief rushed him and did a series of punishing attacks in which he blocked a few with his good arm, but ended with a knock out needle stabbed in his neck.

He fell.  
_"How could I let this happen? I've let you all down"_  
was Kakashi's last thought as he drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

The thief stood above Kakashi, pressed a boot to his cheek lifting it from the ground, stared at the fallen opponent's face, then let his head fall again, making sure he was knocked out.

The thief then plopped down on the ground; knees bent near chest height, arms over them sluggishly, and the mask rested on top of them resignedly.

_"The things I get myself into."  
_  
The thief mulled things over in mind, making a checklist of all the supplies needed to be restocked, all the weapons that could be retrieved, and all the mess in the forest that needed to be cleaned up so there would be no evidence of what had conspired.

The thief then lifted the masked head and stared at Kakashi's sprawled form for a minute and then glanced back at the young Sai's form.

_"Well, guess I don't have time to rest too much, the pink haired medic only got knocked out by hand a while ago and she might wake up sooner than the others."_

And with that the thief stood up gathered the senbon that had missed and the kunai that had been used, and then fixed up anything that might have looked like battle in the immediate vicinity.

Satisfied with the cleanup, the masked one lassoed Kakashi's and Sai's bodies together back to back and started to pull them to the original battle ground where the two other shinobi lay.

Happy with the accomplished clean sweep so far, the thief took three peppy skips forward with the tied up ninjas bouncing along in tow looking like bobble heads. The thief suddenly stopped midair and looked to the left jerkily.

There, the masked one faced a large charred area of the forest where the thief had defeated the ink dragon; the fact that explosives were used could easily be spotted from a mile away.

_"Okaaaay sooo I guess cleanup is ganna take a liiiitle longer than I planned."_

The thief let out a defeated sigh and trudged along again with a slumped posture, now dragging the two males so carelessly and lazily that they even bumped into a few trees.


	6. Morning Sunshine

"Uuunnn" a low rumbling groan was sounded from an unconscious young man

_"This seems familiar…"_  
Naruto felt an odd numbing sensation.

He opened his eyes groggily and a blur of color filled his vision: light blue, a variety of greens, light gray, white, and a lot of a tan and a dark teal color.

"Helloo-ooo… Helloo-ooo"  
a singsong voice drawled out.

Naruto's vision cleared up and a young woman's face came into focus hovering inches above his own. The blue-green color that had obscured his sight earlier had been the woman's mass of choppy bangs dangling around his face, the tan was her skin, the gray and white her eyes, the blue was the sky, and green the leaves of a tree.

Naruto blinked rapidly, trying to register the image.  
"Good morning sunshine!" The woman shouted excitedly smiling down at him.

He was laying on the ground face to face with a total stranger.  
_"Wha?? What's going on here?!"_  
The memory of the battle shot into his head full speed and Naruto in turn shot straight up.

"AHHH!"  
"GAAAH!"

He shot straight up, butting heads with the strange woman.  
Both were now sitting cradling their heads in their hands.

Naruto was about to leap up when a hand reached out to his shoulder and pushed him down gently.

"Whoa hold on there! You're in no condition to be moving around like that! Last time I checked you had a few broken ribs kid." The woman said, still rubbing her forehead with her other hand.  
"And you may even have a concussion from that head butt we just shared cuz I think I might... jeez! The point is: you need to rest!"

Naruto looked down.

He indeed was bandaged around his mid section.

The pain in his ribs was dull now but he remembered how intense it was from the kick to the chest and then from the collision with the tree that was so hard it basically cracked in half. But the pain hadn't been important to him at the time, he had barely registered it, what was important was helping his team.

Naruto turned his head swiftly. Each member of his squad was resting comfortably asleep in the shade of the tree. They were in a row, each on a small blanket or mat, and their wounds were bound and cared for.

A surge of relief washed through him at the sight but also a tinge of guilt as he surveyed each of their injuries: injuries he could have prevented if he had not let himself be taken down.

Sai was closest to him: he did not have many injuries, just a few minor scratches and bruises, though there was a thin unnerving cut along his jugular and his nose had been set and bandaged, Naruto assumed it had been broken somehow.

Sakura was the next in the row: she had a few deep bruises from blocking and her arm was bandaged, it looked like she might have a nasty gash. Naruto worried further for she had a look of extreme exhaustion and there was a wet cloth atop her forehead.

Last in line laid Kakashi and he seemed to have faired the worst. His leg was heavily bandaged from where he had stepped on the mine; his arm was set in a makeshift splint; he had a damp cloth across his brow; and had many dark bruises running along his body.

Naruto then turned his attention back on the final person in the area.

"Lay… back… down... raah!"  
Apparently she had been trying to coax his upper body into a rested position but her pushes had been doing little to move the strong blonde as he carefully observed his friends' conditions.

Naruto slowly lowered himself backwards finally registering the dark turquoise haired female's attempts and the fact that she did not pose a threat.

"There! Was that so hard? I'm so glad you woke up by the way. You had me worried there for a second! You lot have been out for nearly two days since I came across you, I mean I know I'm not a doctor or anything, but I don't think that's normal--"

"TWO DAYS?!" Naruto bellowed and shot up again.

"Nnnnnn… nnnaruto… b'quiet… m' tryna sleep." Sakura's mumbled voice let out as she turned over to her side.

Both gazes fell on her.

* * *

The gray eyed lady walked over and knelt by Sakura's waking form, picking up the cloth that had rolled off her head and setting it to the side.  
"Hi, how are you feeling? You've been out for quite some time."  
She said in a soothing voice.

Sakura's eyes opened slowly and looked up at the voice's owner, the woman smiled kindly.

"W-who are you? And where am I?" Sakura asked sleepily, finding she was neither in their previous battle field nor a hospital.

"My name is Sorami, and what's yours?" she replied warmly.  
"I'm Sakura, Sakura Haruno."  
"Sakura… hmm, it suites you really well. Anyway, it's nice to meet you Sakura. And to answer your second question: you're on the Anatabi Road… it's uh, sorta near the border of Lightning Country, if that--"

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto ran over and enveloped the kunoichi in a bear hug.  
"I was sooo worried! What the heck happened?!?! Are you alright?! I'm so happy you're awake! The last thing I remember was you screaming! I'm so sorry! I wasn't there for you… you could have been hurt or killed or…"

"Naruto! Calm down, it's ok, really, I'm fine. What about the others are they all right?" Sakura replied reassuringly, changing the subject. Naruto, comforted by her answer, loosened the embrace and pulled back.  
"Sai's not too bad, Kakashi looks like he was roughed up a bit but nothing too serious"  
Sakura was about to get up to check on them when a hand stopped her.

"What is with you guys? You both should take it easy and lay back: you look like you were trampled on by a stampede and you're both ready to jump up like its nothing! Please, you're injured and I'm not complaining or anything but I did work kinda hard to patch you all up, so please?" Sorami said gesturing to the blankets.

"You did all this for us?"  
She nodded happily.

"Thank you so much for the kindness Sorami-san but don't worry, we're ninja and can handle a few injuries. What's more: I am a medic-nin, it's my duty to care for my team so I must tend to them as soon as possible if that's ok."

"Oh, well in that case uh… yeah, sure, cool! Go right ahead I guess. And please, just Sorami. The san is so formal!" Sorami responded a little sheepishly.

Sakura smiled at her and then turned on Naruto.

"How 'bout it ramen boy? You got any injuries you want me to take a look at?"

"Naaah! Sorami over here worries too much, you know me! I can get smashed to pieces and bounce right back again! Don't waste your chakra on me!"

"Still, I'm just ganna take a quick look, kay?" She unraveled the dressings around his chest and then gathered her green chakra into her hands.

"There! They were healing quickly as usual but now your ribs are as good as new."  
Sakura exclaimed after a quick moment.

Naruto stretched and twisted checking his flexibility.  
"Nice one Sakura-chan I can't feel a thing and it only took you like two seconds! That's gotta be a record or something!"

"You can thank Sorami for the most part really, she had already set the ribs back in place and you were well on your way to recovery before I even got there. I just put the finishing touches so to speak." She said absently as she inspected Sai's condition.

"Alright then! Thank **you** Sorami-chan!" Naruto said expressively.  
The teal haired woman laughed.  
"**You** are very welcome Naruto."

Sakura healed Sai's nose and various wounds.  
_"The sleep agent is still in his body but there's so little left it will probably just be easier to let it work itself out naturally, he will probably wake up soon like the rest of us."_

The rose haired medic then moved on to her last patient.  
Sorami sat herself on the opposite side of the sleeping male.

"He was in the worst shape out of the bunch when I picked you all up. He's got a nasty leg wound you might want to look at first and he had a slight fever. If there's anything more I can do please, just ask." She stated while dabbing and soothing his brow with the cooling cloth.

There was a look of true concern adorning her tanned face and Sakura felt new admiration for the woman in front of her.

"Sure, can you help me remove the bandages so I can work on the wound?"

Sorami nodded and began her task, holding up the leg delicately and aiding her in unwrapping.  
Sakura noted all the slashes along his leg that had been caused by the explosion, they had been gently cleaned out and there were a few herbal medicines lining the wrappings that she assumed Sorami had put in to aid the healing process.

Sakura gathered healing energy in her hand and began to seal the skin and reconnect any tears that had occurred.

When she glanced up after concluding the healing, Sakura saw Sorami with a look of deep fascination across her face.  
Realizing had been caught gawking the gray eyed woman quickly diverted her gaze embarrassedly but smiled all the same.  
"Haha and here I thought I was a wiz at first aid! You have a remarkable gift Sakura, I hope you know that." She remarked genuinely.

"I suppose I do…  
but sometimes I just…  
I hate that I'm not strong enough to prevent these types of things **before** there is a need to heal them."  
Sakura replied lowly. She blinked rapidly, seeming to snap out of a daze, surprised at herself about how open she was being with this total stranger, but it just seemed to slip out.

"Hmm… but you can't prevent everything, you know? There will always be pain in the world, always people getting hurt, no matter how strong you are. But at least you work to try to stop it and your healing has the power to make things better even when they seem their worst. That matters."  
Sorami didn't seem at all affected by the intimacy of the conversation, just shrugged replying thoughtfully and frankly.

Sakura let her words sink in, they made her feel a bit lighter somehow.  
Sorami took her silence as a bad sign however.

"Uhhh… did that make any sense to you? I'm sorry; I just tend to say whatever pops into my head!"

"I got it! And yeah she's right Sakura! You know you have serious skill! And you're crazy to think you're not strong! You've got so much strength it's kinda scary!"

Both women turned to see Naruto sitting cross legged at Kakashi's feet. Sakura blushed slightly; she had completely forgotten he was there. Sorami just flashed him a toothy grin.

Sakura smiled faintly feeling a bit better and returned to her work, removing the makeshift splint and mending Kakashi's upper arm.  
"There! That's everybody! Now all we have to do is wait until they wake up and we'll be ready for action!"

"Umm aren't you forgetting someone?" Sorami asked raising a quizzical brow.  
"You don't look injured, what's the problem?" Sakura inquired, now inspecting her physical condition with furrowed brows, but to this the tan woman chuckled softly.  
"Not me! You!"  
"Oh, right…"

"Yeah, she does this all the time Sorami-chan, she's so busy fussing over everybody else that she completely forgets about her own well being. Sometimes she even passes out from chakra depletion, using it up to heal the rest of us completely, it really worries me!"  
Sakura finished healing her bruises.  
"Oh will you hush! You act like I'm made of glass or something!" She snapped.  
"Aww come on I'm just--" There was a loud growling sound from the general area of Naruto's stomach.

"Oh wow! I should get some food cooking huh? You must be starving after all this time!  
Go ahead and rest in the meantime while I go get some fire wood ok?!!"  
Sorami shouted the last part over her shoulder as she jogged away into the woods before they had a chance to protest.


	7. Lost on the Road of Life

**A/N:  
**Hi there, hope you are enjoying the story so far and I hope your day has been enjoyable as well.  
Did you see any interesting birds?  
No? That's alright, me neither.

Anywho! I just wanted to give you guys the chance to get a peek inside my head.

"Now what the heck does that mean LiLi?"  
You may be wondering...

Well I decided that, in case some of you were having trouble getting clear mental pictures of the new characters or you just wanted to see what I imagine they look like, I should provide the address to Deviant Art to check out some dawings I've done for it and whatnot:

http//xlilix(dot)deviantart(dot)com/

BUT! If you want to keep your own imaginary imagery of what they look like, by all means: totally ignore what I just wrote.  
Yeah so there will probably be random illustrations from the story in there. (You should probably wait until you've read the latest chapter before visiting it: wouldn't want to spoil anything for ya ;])

If you have a request for me to draw a scene or something go on and ask and I will be sure to think about it. (keep in mind: I'm no Da Vinci, I do get quite lazy, and I put the **PRO** in procrastination)

As always I have to put this note:  
Reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  
Like Nike: JUST DO IT.

ON TO CHAPTER 7!!!!

* * *

The sun was setting on their peaceful roadside camp, a small fire had been built and Sakura and Naruto were sitting around it wrapped in the blankets they had been laying on previously.  
They were cooking a number of skewered fish that Sorami told them she caught earlier in the day. They were both hungrily munching on the ones that were already cooked.

Naruto took a look around their quiet campsite.

Kakashi and Sai were still resting under the tree a few feet behind.  
A couple meters away, up a small slope, was a large dirt road stretching east and west.  
To his right Sorami was tending to a mule attached to a large cart with a tall pile of belongings in it that was covered by a faded mauve sheet.

He took this chance to get a good look at her.

She was about 5'6" and looked like she was in her mid to late twenties; she was lean and kept her hair in a wrap at the back of her head but her shaggy bangs fell in her face.  
Her outfit seemed kind of… exotic… but he liked it.  
She wore breezy top that stopped under her chest leaving her stomach exposed but she was wearing full body black tights underneath and wasn't showing any skin other than her hands, face and neck area.  
The top had short, loose fitting, dark yellow sleeves with white lining the edges and a white collar that went down to the bottom of the shirt.  
The chest area was orange with black stripes and the bottom was lined in a magenta color that met at a dark yellow circle in the center.

Exotic, weird: same thing. But it still looked nice to him.

She wore a long grayish brown skirt with slits on the sides and the waistband was the same magenta color as the shirt's border. The black tights on her legs led to short black floppy boots with white lining the tops.

Over all: she wasn't too shabby to look at.

Sorami finished feeding the mule its oats and pet its muzzle gently.  
She then walked over and set herself down on the ground next to him. Her legs stretched out towards the fire rolling back and forth in a playful manner, her feet knocking each other at times. She was leaning back on her arms staring up at the darkening sky.

"So how are the fish? Any good?" She asked cheerfully.

"Yeah they're great! But I dunno if you should take my word for it, I mean everything tastes great when you're starving! I guess you'll just have to try for yourself…" Naruto replied holding his stick of fish out to her and waving it enticingly so that the steam danced in front of her face.

"Don't mind if I do!" She said mirroring his grin and picking off one of the browned fish.  
They ate in peaceful silence, the only sounds were the crickets starting to emerge and the soft crackling of the fire.

A few moments later there was the soft sound of shifting clothing heard from a few feet behind.

Both Naruto and Sakura turned head.  
Sorami saw their swift action, raised confused brows, and turned her head around to follow their gaze.

* * *

Kakashi was sitting up jadedly staring at the wet cloth in his lap that had been across his head a moment ago.

"Kakashi sensei!" both ninja exclaimed.

As if it was his own name that was shouted Sai sat up as well at their declarations.

Sakura was the first one up and walked over to them.

"How are you both feeling?" She said in her professional voice as she knelt down beside them.

"Odd." Sai stated bluntly and looked around.

"That's the numbing agent, and you know it'll go away in a few seconds. I meant do you hurt anywhere that I didn't get a look at?"

"No, I feel fine." He said smiling.

"How 'bout you sensei?" Naruto piped in.

"I'm alright considering…  
Who do we have here?" Kakashi replied glancing to Naruto's right where Sorami stood, holding back as to not interrupt the team's reunion.

"Uhh, hi!" She said waving slightly.

"This is Sorami-chan! She's our savior! She patched us all up!" Naruto exclaimed appreciatively.

"Hmm? Is that so?" Kakashi asked rhetorically, giving her an appraising once over.

"Yeah umm, don't mention it! Heyyy, are you hungry? We cooked some food!... Well… they cooked some food… I… caught the fish… I'm a pretty good fisher… f-fisherman... fisher-woman…" Sorami said awkwardly, feeling self-conscious under his intense gaze.

_"Way to sound like an idiot during your first impression! Fisherwoman? Really? Wow."_ She thought sarcastically.

"That sounds… wonderful, thank you." Kakashi replied bowing his head slightly, one eye crinkling, having pulled down his hitai-ate from his hair.

Even though she did not see most of his face, Sorami took the eye crinkle as a smile and relaxed.

Kakashi was starting to maneuver to get up when his arm was pulled around someone's shoulders and a hand was at his waist:  
he was being pulled up.

All the ninja stared at Sorami. She looked up at them, saw their puzzled glances, and her face fell.

"Uhh...?"

"I can get up on my own, I'm alright. Really." Kakashi said amusedly.

"Oh, right! I getcha." She said dropping him abruptly and blushing at her apparent lack of knowledge on the ways of ninja.

All five went to sit around the fire and resumed their meal.

* * *

"So, Sorami was it?" Kakashi said casually.

"Ahem, yes?" She said, slightly choking while swallowing a mouthful of food.

"I couldn't help but notice that your clothing style is very… unique. Where did you say you were from exactly?"

"Well I wouldn't say I'm from anywhere lately. I just tend to travel around, go wherever the wind takes me and all that." She answered smiling serenely and tilting her head skyward.

"You travel all by yourself? Isn't that dangerous for a civilian? Where's your family? Where's your village? Tell us everything Sorami-chan!" Naruto rapidly questioned.

"Everything? Seriously?" She asked, a little skeptical as to why they'd even be interested in her.

"Sure! I'd like to consider us friends now, after all you've done for us, and we'd like to know more about you. And besides, that's the kind of thing you do around a campfire at night: tell stories." Sakura added encouragingly while Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I dunno, I mean I wouldn't want to bore you or anything." She said giving a cursory glance toward the more reserved side of the campfire including the stoic Sai and apathetic Kakashi.

"Go right ahead. It's true, we should know more about you if we're going to be staying with you, and it's not like we have anything else to do at this time of night." Kakashi stated dismissively while pulling out an orange book.

"Ok I guess.  
Let's see... my family history is a little… difficult to describe.  
Well, my mother was a traveler of sorts, and let's just say a child really wasn't in her travel plans.  
One thing leads to another and I end up dumped on the doorstep of a random old friend: he took me in out of honor and pity.  
So I spent fifteen years of my life on a farm smack dab in middle of nowhere, Earth Country.  
It was a quiet life: it was a small, secluded, agricultural village named Morini, the farms were really spaced out, and there weren't many people my age to talk to so it was pretty lonely." She said losing her cheerful tone.

Naruto suddenly felt a subtle connection to the woman in front of him.

"Me and Miagi, that was the name of the man I stayed with, we never really had a father-daughter relationship like you would expect. It was more like I was a free farmhand that he let board there.  
Don't take that the wrong way though: he wasn't mean or anything, he took care of me and it was fine, but we just never had a connection like that I guess. I suppose it's just something I've always longed for, that feeling of family, but it never happened..." she trailed off.

_"Just like me…" _Naruto was now listening intently.

"Anyway! I spent my days working on the farm, I sort of home schooled myself in a sense, I read a lot in my spare time, soaking up whatever information I could get my hands on. Living through the books you might say. But I dunno: I was always restless, always wanted more, always wanted to get out, go do something. I guess the need to move is in my family genes eh?" She chuckled.

"Understand that Miagi wasn't the youngest guy when I came to him, so what can I say? He got pretty old.  
Eventually he couldn't work in the field anymore and so for the last few years that I lived there I tended it myself.  
That was kind of hard and I guess me alone wasn't enough: the bills started to pile up.

Then one day I went into his room to give him his breakfast and he was just… gone." Sorami's eyes cast downward.

"Oh god." Sakura said under her breath putting her hand to her mouth.

"I know I said we weren't the closest people on the planet, and it's true, but he was all I had at the time and his death got to me.  
It hits me hard: the fact that life is so fragile. You think they'll be there forever, but they won't."  
She had closed her eyes and it seemed like, for the last part, she was talking more to herself than to the group.

Naruto looked around at the people within the ring of firelight._  
"If I were to lose any of them, I don't know what I'd do…"_  
Naruto caught Sakura's eye and she caught his at the same moment.  
They sadly smiled at each other knowing that they had been thinking the exact same thing.  
It was a special bond between friends to know each would feel lost without the other.

Sorami took a breath and continued.

"I was alone. I got kind of depressed, so I didn't go out to work for a few days. That was a mistake, but it didn't really matter: the bill collectors came to the house and said they had to foreclose the property and sell it to pay off the old debts.

I didn't really know what to do. I had no idea how to handle the situation so I just packed everything that was worth anything to me in that cart over there and set out on a new chapter of my life."

"So you were just shoved out at fifteen, no experience other than farming, no money to your name, and completely alone?" Naruto said desperately.

"Seriously! Can you imagine a fifteen year old me about to face the world? It was scary and it was hard at first, getting used to this life. There have been so many obstacles… and believe me, there have been times when I felt completely lost… and literally lost: I don't really have the best sense of direction." She laughed.

"But in due time I got a handle on my situation and I don't know if it really is my heritage or something but I truly love traveling: living off the land and going wherever I please. There's so much freedom. I've been just about everywhere, I've learned so many things, and I have met so many amazing people along the way...  
So amazing in fact, that I did try settling down a few times: stop wandering the globe by all by lonesome and whatnot, but nothing ever seemed… **right**.  
I wouldn't fit in, something would be missing, something would come up, people would change… I never got that feeling of 'home.'

So then I would pack up and move along again: to the next town, the next friend, the next adventure.

Wow. Now that I think about it, it's been over ten years since I left that farm, since then it's been me moving from place to place…"

She sighed heavily but then resumed a chipper demeanor.

"AND SO! **That** is how I came to this point in my life and **that** is how I came across you all, just traveling along here. I hope I didn't bore you with the sappy details."  
She smiled contentedly.

"No, not at all, it was a good story." Sakura said honestly.

Naruto just stared at her in silence, searching her face and wanting to reach out to this person who had known loneliness like himself.

* * *

"You came across us… how did that happen by the way? Last time I was conscious I don't believe we were anywhere near here..." Kakashi asked a little suspicion in his voice but masked by curiosity and nonchalance.

Sakura's head snapped in his direction to give him a condescending look, determining it to be rude to act suspicious of their new companion. She now understood that he wasn't being friendly when he had started the conversation but rather was trying to get information out of her in secret.

However, Sorami was just surprised by his addition to the conversation: she had assumed he wasn't interested in her or her story and would not be listening, so she simply answered him, indifferent to his insinuation.

"Hmm? You weren't here? That's odd. I was passing down this road and I stopped to… relieve myself… in the woods, and as I was walking back, there you were: all piled up in a beaten heap behind a bush near the side of the road.  
I assumed you had gotten mugged or something, at least that's what I gathered from the note, and when you're traveling its not like it's uncommon for thugs to try to--"

"Wait. A note?" Kakashi interrupted.

"Oh! That's right! I forgot!" She walked over and handed him a slightly crumpled piece of paper from her shirt.

She waited while he investigated the document but she started to tense up.

"I read it!" She blurted out randomly, making Kakashi glance up.

"I just… I thought it would be best to let you know. I mean, I didn't think it was personal, seeing as it was just sticking out there attached to his forehead." She said pointing casually at Naruto.

"ME AGAIN!?! Come on! Why not use Sai as a message board?!" Naruto complained.  
She raised an eyebrow at him then continued.

"I decided it would be best to tell you straight out. For a little while when I first saw it I contemplated if I should read it: thought that maybe it was private, but I ended up thinking that I should, in case it could help me figure out what was wrong with you. So yeah, I read it."

"Thanks for being honest I suppose." said Kakashi still lost as to what the point of her outburst was.

She nodded then slowly walked back to her spot across from him on the other side of the fire and turned her head away from the heated glow of the flames.

"What does it say?" Sai inquired, speaking for the first time since they sat down to eat.

"DEAREST NINJA,  
I AM VERY SORRY OUR LAST ENCOUNTER HAD TO RESULT IN PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. I ESTIMATE THAT YOU WILL BE READING THIS IN ABOUT TWO TO THREE DAYS TIME; I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT BY THEN, IF YOU SHOULD CHOOSE TO SEARCH FOR ME, I WILL BE QUITE IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU SAVE YOUR ENERGY, BUT I AM SURE IT WOULD BE TO NO AVAIL. I WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT THE SCROLLS' SECRETS THAT I HAVE STOLEN ARE SAFE WITH ME AND THAT I MEAN NO HARM TO YOU OR YOUR VILLAGE.  
I HOPE THAT PERHAPS SOMEDAY WE WILL MEET ON BETTER TERMS. ONCE AGAIN: MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.  
GET WELL SOON,  
-THEIF"


	8. Propositions

A silence reigned over the group as they contemplated what the new letter meant for their mission.

Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose agitatedly and addressed the group.  
"It's too dark to do any investigating now but I guess we'll do a search for the thief in the morning."

"But Kakashi sensei, you heard what it said, it's been **two days**: we'll never find him, he's long gone." Naruto reasoned solemnly.

"I know what it said, but we still have to do a general sweep of the area, the note could just be a ploy to get us off his trail. If we don't find anything by afternoon then we will head back to the village to report. But for now let's just get some rest."  
Kakashi answered flatly.

"Sorami?"

The teal haired girl looked up from staring at the flames of the slowly dying fire.

"Hmm? Yes Sakura?"

"When you found us you didn't happen to find our packs did you? They have all our stuff including our sleeping supplies."

"Oh, yes, of course!" She said getting up quickly and dusting herself off.  
She walked over to the back of her wooden cart and started pulling out the bags.

"I have some more blankets back here that you can sleep on if you want, or even a tent. Personally, I like to sleep out on nice nights like this, but that's just me, if you want it then it's no trouble at all."  
She said lightly while handing Sakura the packs.

"The tent won't be necessary thank you, but I'm sure we would greatly appreciate the blankets to cushion the ground." Kakashi intoned politely.

"Sweet! No cold, lumpy ground for me! Oh Sorami-chan, where would we be without you?"  
Naruto exclaimed cheerfully.

"As she stated before, we would probably still be: "all piled up in a beaten heap behind a bush near the side of the road." Sai replied helpfully.

"That's right; I never thanked you properly for all your assistance Sorami." Kakashi bowed courteously after rolling out his mat and blankets near the fire.

"Seriously, don't mention it. It was honestly no trouble at all." She said waving in dismissal while laying back on her own mat and a pile of old quilts. She put her hands behind her head and looked up at the stars.

"I don't know," Sakura joined in while fixing her sleeping arrangements, "those wrappings and homemade splints were perfect! You must have put a lot of time and effort into them. I barely had to use any of my healing chakra, though I still feel kind of drained." She said as she flopped down onto the warm padding.

"You have a great talent for first aid it seems… a little odd for a simple farm hand to know so much about healing…" Kakashi trailed off with a slight air of suspicion once again. Sakura shot him a dirty look.

Sorami remained blissfully ignorant.  
"Yeah I guess that is a little weird, but you see Miagi was a pretty clumsy guy and he was sort of a jinx: he was **always** finding some way to injure himself on that farm." She laughed.  
"So I studied a lot of medical text books, practiced on farm animals that needed care, and made sure I could patch him up myself, that way we could save the money we would have used calling in a doctor to travel all the way out to our village."

She started laughing to herself.  
"What's so funny about that?" Naruto asked, confused by her laughter at such a dilemma.

"It just reminds me of funny memories: like this one time, he was trying to get that mule over there to plow a field but she just wouldn't budge. He got so frustrated that he slapped her hindquarters and she kicked him hard in the chest. He made a really weird sound like "kewaaah!" and flew back nearly twenty feet! He had about three broken ribs but I fixed him up pretty well."

She laughed again.

"For about a week the **only** thing he would say was how he was going to sell her to a glue factory. Then, when he was finally done recovering and went out to work, he started treating her like she was made of gold! I think he was convinced that she would viciously attack him or something because after that, if she refused to work, he would just walk away and mutter "Demon Donkey" under his breath."

Naruto chuckled softly from his comforter to her right.

"Yeah… wait what was the point of this again? Oh yeah, my medical familiarity. Well besides that: when you're out of the road you have to know a bit first aid, it's just basic survival stuff." She said the last part while yawning and then stretched.  
"Well I don't know about you all but I am **beat**. Goodnight, sweet dreams." She said while lowering her eyelids.

"Goodnight Sorami-chan." Naruto said warmly.

Sai sat on guard silently.  
Kakashi closed his visible eye.  
Sakura had rolled over and was asleep already.

It never really occurred to him before, but as she said it, Naruto realized that no one ever really said "goodnight" on missions. They would usually just go over the plans for the next day, settle who was going to have first watch for the night, and then silently and tiredly find their way to their mats, swiftly getting to sleep while they had the chance: it was all business.

Maybe Sakura might have mumbled a quick "night" to him a few times, but Naruto definitely couldn't recall the last time anyone had ever told him "sweet dreams." It seemed like something so natural, so normal, so familiar, yet no one had ever said it to him before. It made him feel good to hear it and, as if her words had caused it to be so, he did sleep a little more peacefully that night.

* * *

There was a noisy clanking and clattering sound of a pan.  
Sorami groaned.  
She opened one eye experimentally and peeked over the top of her blanket.

Kakashi was reading his orange book,  
Sai was eating a biscuit,  
Sakura was cooking over the fire pit,  
and Naruto was gazing off into space.

He looked in her direction and noticed her open eye.

"Sorami-chan! Good morning!" He was far too chipper and far too shrill.

The grey eyed woman pulled the cover over her head sharply while rolling over and moaned loudly.  
Her muffled voice came from underneath:  
"What **are **you **doing**? Uhhhh… it's barely light out! It must be six AM! Are you insane???"

Naruto crouched over her. "We always have to get up this early during missions! And to answer your first question: we are making breakfast! If you want some you better get up! Come oo-on! Come oo-on!" He said playfully while poking and prodding her back.  
"Get up Sorami-chaaaan, you know you want some! It's reeeally good…"

"…

…What did you make?" She said begrudgingly from beneath her blanket.

"Some biscuits, eggs and tea!"

She sat up lazily and her blanket fell off. She was thoroughly disheveled looking: her hair was sticking up at odd ends; her sleeve had sloped to the side; her clothes were just a mass of wrinkles; and on her face was a dead-like look of exhaustion.

Naruto recoiled from the sight but she didn't seem to mind, she simply stood up wobbling back and forth a bit then slowly dragged herself over to the campfire and let herself collapse.

"Tea please."

* * *

After finishing breakfast Sorami offered to clean the dishes and watch their stuff while they went out to scan the area for signs of the thief.

They decided to use the same search tactics they had used before and spread out in different directions while staying in contact via radio.

Four hours passed.

"Has anyone found anything?" Kakashi asked over the headset  
"Negative." Sai responded.  
"Nothing in my division either" Sakura replied.  
"I haven't found anything but trees, trees, and more trees. We've been at it for hours, this is pointless." Naruto complained.  
"Alright let's regroup and head back to camp."  
They met up in a small clearing and started to walk.

"Hey Kakashi sensei, before we get back there is something I've been meaning to ask you…" Sakura said seriously.  
"And that is…"  
"Why have you been acting so suspicious toward Sorami? She's been so kind to us and you've practically been interrogating her the whole time. What about her makes you distrust her so much?"

Kakashi sighed.  
"Listen its not that I don't like her or anything, it's just as a ninja I have to look at the facts here Sakura.  
The last thing I can remember is being taken down by a masked enemy and when I wake up, there is a non-masked stranger in my midst. We were defeated two miles away from here and we somehow end up on a road that heads back to the border. She "coincidentally" finds us and knows what our injuries are and how to heal them. There are a lot of questions left unanswered and though it may seem like a stretch: so far she is my only lead."

"You're saying you think **Sorami** is the thief? No way! I think you're just being paranoid. Why would she heal us if she were our enemy? Why would she even stay with us if she were an enemy? And besides, didn't you say the thief was a **guy**?" Sakura countered.

"I had just assumed that, but in retrospect the clothes were a bit loose so it could have been either way… listen: all I am saying is that it's a possibility." Kakashi concluded.

"Well I like her, and I have a good feeling that we can trust her." Naruto said with complete certainty.

* * *

They walked into the campsite while Sorami was packing up the blankets into her cart.

"Hey! You guys have been gone for hours! I was starting to think you had just left me without even saying goodbye… but then I remembered that I still have all your junk held hostage, so that made me feel better!" Sorami joked.  
"Did you have any luck?" She asked handing Naruto a canteen of water as he sat down grumpily.

He drank a few large gulps then responded.  
"NO! We searched **everywhere** and not a twig was out of place!" Naruto replied huffily crossing his arms.

Sorami laughed good-naturedly and smiled at him.  
"I see a few twigs out of place…" She gently brushed out a few leaves that had caught in his hair from moving through the trees.

It was a tender gesture and Naruto was surprised by her action but it felt strangely nice to be cared for like that.

Naruto found that he cherished little moments such as this in his life: whether it was Sakura fixing him a snack, or Tsunade kissing him on the forehead, or whatever, he would sometimes find himself imagining that that's what having a mother would feel like.

Sorami was taking notice of his state: there was a dirt stain on his knee and a few burrs stuck in the hem of his pants.  
"Looks like you have been running around looking high and low to find this guy huh? I'm sorry it didn't work out."

"Yeah, I guess we have to report back and say we lost him. Tsunade-baa-chan is going to have a meltdown on us." Naruto groaned.

"Speaking of reporting back, we should get going. We were expected back by today and we still have a day and half's worth of travel to get home. We've got to get to the next town and find a messenger hawk to inform them of our delay." Kakashi said while picking up his bag.

"You're leaving already?!"  
"We're leaving already?!" Sorami and Naruto said simultaneously.

Kakashi nodded.

Naruto was upset that he had made a new friend and was going to have to part ways so soon.  
"But Kakashi sensei can't we rest a little while? ...I mean I'm kind of tired from all that searching we did and it doesn't really matter if we're late now."

"First of all Naruto I find it hard to believe that a ball of energy like yourself would get exhausted after a little search, and if we don't send word soon they might send out a search party." Kakashi explained.

"I could give you a ride!" Sorami blurted out loudly, excited by her own quick thinking. The group of ninja looked at her.  
"Yeah, you're headed south toward fire country right? I was headed that way anyway when I saw you. I have plenty of room in the back of the cart where you could sit and it would save you a ton of walking!"

"Aw yeah! That's a great idea!" Naruto jumped up and shouted.

"Are you sure you wouldn't be going out of your way?" Sakura asked.

"No, no, not at all! I mean I had been thinking about heading down to either Fire country or Tea country for a while now, I haven't been to either in the past few years, so taking you would be no hassle!"

"I don't know…" Kakashi said doubtfully considering the pros and cons of their situation including his vague suspicion of their potential travel-mate.

"Come on Kakashi sensei, pleeeeease! I don't want to walk that far if we don't have to! Where is the problem here?"

"I definitely wouldn't mind getting a ride either, it seems like a fine idea to me." Sakura added hopefully.

"How about you Sai what's your position on the matter?" Kakashi asked.

"I believe it would be considered rude not to accept such a generous offer, would it not?" He smiled.

"Yes! I would be **completely** offended if you didn't accept, in fact I don't know if I'll **ever** be able to get over it! " Sorami said dramatically. "What do you say?"

"Well, since it's unanimous, it would be an honor to join you." Kakashi said smoothly inclining his head in a small bow.

Sorami clapped her hands together and smiled hugely.

"Woo-hoo! Shotgun!" Naruto exclaimed gleefully scooping up his pack and jumping onto the driver's bench of the cart.

* * *

**A/N:  
**So how do you readers like Sorami-chan so far? Are you feeling the story? Will the theif ever be found? Will the hidden leaf and hidden cloud go to war? Has Shizune ever gotten drunk _with_ Tsunade??? Just how much wood **could** a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood???  
Such burning questions.

Ok this may not make much sense to a lot of you but I decided to put this here anyway:  
if you want to know what Miagi's vioce sounds like  
imagine "The Rower" from the Naruto abridged series on youtube.  
I **love** that series and I **LOVE** The Rower! lol

I'll probably post a picture of Miagi at some point on my DA profile

Umm so yeah! Leave me a message/review/comment pleeeease! Anything really! Just let me know you exist! Say **ANYTHING** like "Hey I did have a really good day today, I got some free icecream."

I WILL **CHERISH** THAT COMMENT **FOREVER**. That is a promise.

Thank you for reading  
- xlilix


	9. Walking on a Dream

**A/N:  
**  
A lot of this chapter is Sorami getting to know Naruto and connecting with him so there is a quick summary of Naruto's life so far from his perspective.

Ok another thing to explain:  
Suggested Listenings are songs that I feel show the mood of the section.  
They are usually just some chill songs that I like a lot so I "suggest" (lol) you take a quick listen on youtube or something even if you don't agree with what they convey.

Suggested Listening Format:  
(S/L: band name- song title [mood/message/idea])

* * *

Sorami climbed into the cart, pushed some of her possessions further forward, secured them with ropes and set down some cloths.

"There! I put out some cushions and blankets to rest on so you don't have to sit on hard wood. You think you'll have enough room to stretch though?" She asked.

"Yeah, its great thanks!" Sakura said about to clamber onto the wooden platform.  
Sorami stuck out her hand and helped pull her up.

She did the same for Kakashi and Sai, hopped down onto the dirt, jauntily made her way to the driver's bench, and grabbed the reigns.

"Everyone all set? Good! Here we go!" She jostled the reigns and made a clicking noise with her mouth and the cart lurched forward towards the dirt road.

* * *

"So Naruto, I realize that I've told you all about me but I know so little about you! So what's your story? I want to know all about you and your band of hooligans back there!" Sorami said interestedly.

"I heard that!" Sakura shouted in mock offense. Sorami just laughed.

"Well let's start from the beginning. My name is Naruto Uzumaki; I am a shinobi from The Village Hidden in the Leaves, Fire Country. My favorite food is ramen, and I'm going to be Hokage someday!"

"Hokage? Really?" She asked incredulously.

_"Oh lord, here it comes: "You? You could never be Hokage! You should just give up now and head for more realistic dreams blah blah blah blah blah" _Naruto thought exasperatedly.

"Why do you want to be Hokage, isn't that a lot of pressure?" Sorami asked.

Naruto was a little surprised that she hadn't shot him down yet like every other person he told his dream to.

"Well I know it's a lot of work and stuff, but I just **know** I will be a great Hokage someday!"

"Describe to me how you will be a great Hokage Naruto."

Naruto got excited: someone was actually taking an interest in hearing him talk about being Hokage!

"Well first off, no matter what anyone does or says I will always have the deepest love my village and its people."

"Well what if they don't love you back or disagree with what you have to say? Wouldn't you get discouraged?" She countered.

(S/L: Akeboshi- Wind [Naruto's childhood])

"Psssh! Please! Been there, done that! People rarely ever take what I say seriously and the people of the village hated me throughout my entire childhood! I could definitely handle that kind of opposition no problem." He said dismissively.

"They hated you when you were a kid? But why? You were that much of a brat, huh?" She said nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

"No!" He pouted but then thought on it. "Well…heh-heh actually… sort of, I was a bit of a trouble maker. But that's not why they hated me!" He said defensively.

"Well then I don't get it. What could you have done that would make them hate you if you were just a kid? Wait, did your parents do something wrong towards the village?" She inquired.

Naruto responded a little hesitantly.  
"No it wasn't that, cuz I never really had parents in the first place. I was orphaned when I was little..."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry! I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have assumed something like that. Of all people, I should have known what a sensitive subject family can be, I'm sorry…"

"No, it's ok you couldn't have known. Anyways they hated me because well…"

He hesitated. He couldn't think of anyway to put it lightly at the moment and he didn't know how she would react if he told her that he had a demon inside of him: that sort of thing tends to scare people off.  
He was really starting to like her and didn't want to ruin their friendship.

Sorami noticed his hesitation and put two and two together:  
_"He thinks that if he tells me I'll hate him just like they did."  
_  
"Hey Naruto… I just want to say that whatever you tell me, if you choose to tell me: I won't think of you any different then I do now." She said with complete sincerity.

He looked at her with wide eyes and raised a brow.  
She looked over at him earnestly, then took his hand and squeezed it softly in a comforting way.

He nodded back.  
"Well, when I was a baby our village was attacked by the nine-tailed fox. The great forth Hokage fought off the beast and the only way to defeat it was to seal the demon away… and he sealed it... inside of me. After that, the people of the village all associated me with the monster, assuming I was just as evil and tainted. No one was allowed to tell me and so I was always confused and hurt: I thought it was me that they hated and I could never figure out what was so wrong with me..."

He waited with apprehension for her reaction, staring at her face for any indication while she was looking out at the road. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw him staring.

"Phew! Well that's a relief! I thought you had like gone berserk when you were a child and slaughtered all your classmates with a pair of scissors or something!" She said dramatically trying to relieve the tension.  
She smiled at him and winked.  
"There's nothing wrong with you Naruto."

He was reassured and glad that she didn't seem affected and continued with his tale.

"So yeah I grew up alone and people always treated me differently, it was hard, and it was a really dark time in my life."

"How did you deal with it? I mean, I had someone most of the time: I wasn't alone, but it always felt that way and I never felt wanted.  
You must have felt that a thousand fold…" She said looking at him with quiet understanding and profound sympathy.

"It was pretty bad but it actually made me a stronger person I think. It made me want to make myself better and prove to everyone that I was someone worthy of being valued and respected. I knew in my heart that they were wrong about me and that I had to show them. So that's when my dreams of being Hokage sprouted: from this desperate need to prove my own worth.

So I became a ninja to reach that goal and that's when I met people that actually started to care about me and see me for who I really am like Iruka Sensei, The third, Grandma Tsunade, Pervy Sage and most of all my team: Kakashi sensei, Sakura-chan, and… Sasuke."

* * *

"Hmm? Sasuke? I thought his name was Sai..." Sorami said confused, trying to remember hearing the name.

"NO, NOT HIM!" Naruto said annoyed.

"Oh, then where is Sasuke? Why didn't he come on your mission if he's your teammate?" Sorami asked.  
Naruto lowered his head and a shadow covered his eyes.

"Oh god! He's dead isn't he? I'm so sorry! What is wrong with me?!? Why do I keep bringing up your dead loved ones!? Aye-yaaa! Please forgive me!" Sorami had dropped the reigns and was bowing repeatedly to Naruto for forgiveness.

"Ahh!"

Naruto panicked and grabbed the fallen reigns as the cart started to swerve to the side.  
He regained control of the vehicle.

"Is everything alright up there?" Kakashi yelled from behind the pile of belongings.

"Yeah it's fine! Heh-heh!" Naruto shouted back.

Sorami was looking down at her lap miserably.  
Naruto chuckled a little at her misunderstanding.

"Sorami-chaaaan it's okay really." He said handing her the reigns.

She looked up at him glumly.

"Sasuke isn't dead! It's just the reason he's not here is a little… complicated."

She blinked at him.

"…Oh." She said blankly, secretly curious but determined not to press a painful subject.

* * *

But Naruto was feeling some sense of release from telling his troubles to her and she seemed to actually be interested in his life so he decided to continue.

"Yeah, when I first graduated from the ninja academy I was put in a group with Kakashi Sakura and Sasuke. It was pretty rough at first: we totally **sucked**. Our teamwork was horrible.  
I liked Sakura, Sakura like Sasuke, and Sasuke hated the world.  
No one got along with anyone.  
Of course: I blamed Sasuke.  
He was always the best at everything he did but it was like he didn't even have to work for it and everybody loved him and blah blah blah.  
And even though I was sort of jealous of him for that, I could have lived with it! Really I could've! But then he had this whole "I'm better than everyone and no one is worth my time, go to hell" attitude and that ticked me off!

He should have been grateful that people liked him and that he was talented: they were things I wanted so desperately and he brushed it off like it was nothing!  
What's worse, he treated Sakura, the love of my young life, like crud!  
So, safe to say: I hated the guy. I tried my hardest to best him at anything I could and took every opportunity to insult him. We became rivals that way.

Well long story short: we all went on missions together and saved each other's butts a couple of times, he started to loosen up and we found that he secretly cared, so we became close, even though Sasuke and I still acted like we hated each other.

I spent a lot of time with my team, more time than I had spent with anyone, we all had this connection and understanding of one another and for once in my life it felt like I had a family.

I considered Sasuke my brother. It meant so much to me and I thought he felt the same… I was getting stronger and my life was finally starting to fall into place…

But then Sasuke was lured away from us by a dirty snake---**thing** who promised him power so he left the village and broke apart my family. We tried convincing him to stay but he was so blinded by his own goals that nothing else mattered. We were crushed by his betrayal but I made a promise to get him back somehow...

We saw him again not too long ago,  
we tried to make him come home but he was…  
different somehow...  
let's just say it didn't work...  
I wasn't good enough."  
His voice was filled with regret and sadness.

Sorami had been staring into him, eyes glistening with concern and empathy. She tore her gaze away from his face and looked down.

"You know Sorami-chan; another reason I think I would make a great Hokage is the fact that I **never** give up, no matter what. I believe that if I push on and work hard enough I can accomplish anything I set my mind to… but when I saw him then: for the first time in my life I doubted myself… I thought about giving up--"

Sorami's head snapped up.  
(S/L: Empire of the Sun- Walking on a Dream [hope/reaching for your dreams])

"No."

Naruto looked at her, surprised by her interruption.

"Don't say that. Naruto… there's so little hope left in the world… so many dreams left in the dust. If you believe that you can become Hokage and bring back your friend then you will! I know it. I see it when I look at you." She said in complete seriousness.

Naruto couldn't believe it: he had barely met this woman yet she believed in him so completely. It seemed totally unreal but he knew she meant it: it made him feel amazing.

"Sorami-chan! It is very rude to interrupt!" He said mockingly indignant.  
"Like I was saying! I **thought** about giving up. But this is why I **know** I'm going to be Hokage because even when I doubt myself, even when it seems **completely** hopeless, I still carry on and fight for what I believe in to the bitter end."

Sorami couldn't hold it in: she hugged him, practically tackled him in fact.

He had gone through so much, faced so much animosity, so much pain, crushing defeat and doubt, yet he still reached for the stars with all his might and kept hope alive.

It was incredible to her. She had never felt so strongly for someone's story then the way she did now.

"You will be Hokage, and you will be the greatest Hokage to ever live! There is no doubt in my mind!" She shouted excitedly.

"Thank you Sorami-chan, it means a lot to me to hear that." He said closing his eyes.

She gave him a quick squeeze, released him, grinned, and then turned back to pay attention to the road.

"Sooo, what kind of ramen do you like?" she said giving him a sideways glance.

"Oh don't even get me started…"

They chatted amiably for the rest of the day, traveling along the countryside laughing and talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

(S/L: Oh no! Oh my! - Walk in the park [traveling music montage! lol])


	10. Lay it on Me

The sun was getting low on the horizon and the sky was turning a light shade of pink.  
They had entered the Fire Country's border an hour ago and were well on their way back to Konoha.

"Do you think we should stop and set up camp for the night Sorami?! It's starting to get dark!" Sakura shouted from the back of the cart.

"No, we still have some light and there is a town a little while up ahead that I **know** has messenger hawks, so I think we should press on!" Sorami shouted back.

They had been periodically stopping in towns to try to find a messaging station but were having little luck; it seemed they were a lot less popular in non-shinobi villages. Go figure.

They traveled for about two more miles and though the sky had darkened significantly, the lights of a town were coming into view.

"I see the town Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted excitedly.  
The pink haired kunoichi leaned over the side of the cart to take a look in front, and indeed a cluster of buildings were slowly closing in.

Sorami pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road a few meters away from the village entrance.

She hopped down and stretched then went around to the back to help her passengers down and to help unload.

"I'm going to go in and try to send word while you set up camp." Kakashi said as they took out their equipment.  
They all nodded and he walked towards the town.

"Hey Sakura, you want to come help me collect some firewood?" Sorami asked.  
"Sure, no problem!" she said airily as they started to walk towards the more heavily wooded area.

* * *

"Sooo I've been kinda curious…" Sorami began strangely.

"About?" Sakura answered, a little skeptical about where this was headed.

"You and Naruto seem **very** close, and it seems you've known him for a quite some time. He's an awfully attractive young man in my opinion and, well, at one point today he described you as "the love of his young life." So what's the deal? Is there anything **going on** between you two?" She said suggestively.

Sakura laughed. "Okay yes, Naruto and I are extremely close and I've been friends with him since I was twelve. I'll admit that in a weird boyish way he is pretty handsome. And I guess you could say I was "the love of his **young** life." He had a huge crush on me ever since we were young. **But** there is nothing like that going on between us."

"Not to sound rude but: why the heck not? I had the unique pleasure of spending the entire day with him today and he's really dreadfully sweet, incredibly funny in his own way, and an overall amazing person!  
And I don't know what it is, but you two just seem to fit so well together when I see you." Sorami said gathering more wood into her arms.

"I know! I know. And I do love Naruto, so much! But… it's just not in that way.  
It's actually funny that you should mention it.  
Just a few weeks ago he tried asking me out again for the millionth time, and this time I actually thought about it before giving my answer.

I thought about why I should say no, I thought of all the things you've just said, and thought about everything we had been through together. I decided that I should just go for it because he really is a good guy and he deserved a chance.

So we went out a few times and it was great! We had so much fun together, we could talk about anything and it was so natural. But the thing was: it wasn't much different than how we always were: he's my best friend; of course I have fun with him and can share anything with him.

So, on our maybe fourth dinner date, he walks me home and we're at my doorstep and he kisses me. I kissed him back and we stayed that way for a little while. It was actually my first kiss and it was… nice, really nice: he wasn't a bad kisser at all.

But when we pulled back, we looked at each other, and we both… knew.  
It wasn't what a kiss was supposed to feel like: there were no fireworks, nothing special behind it. It was just a friend kissing another friend.

I sort of felt bad: him waiting so long just to find out it wasn't what he had expected it to be. I felt like I disappointed him." She laughed and picked up a few logs.

"And I guess you would assume finding out something like that to be awkward or uncomfortable, but we both started laughing because it was **us**. Then we basically just said what we had been thinking and came to the agreement that we weren't right for each other.

But after that he kissed me on the cheek and said "Know that I will always love you though" and I hugged him tight and whispered "Right back atcha."

It was sweet and I will never regret giving him my first kiss. So yes: I love him and he loves me, but it's more in a brother-sister-best friends sort of way."

"I see. Well I think we have enough wood to last us the night, we should head back."

They trekked back to their resting spot and set up the fire. Sorami pulled out a kettle from her pile of possessions and also, much to Naruto's delight, a pack of instant ramen.

"Sorami-chan I've said it once and I'll say it again: YOU ARE MY SAVIOR!" He said tackling her in a grateful hug.

She laughed.  
"I thought you might appreciate it."

* * *

Just as the noodles had soaked Kakashi came waltzing back into there camp and sat down.

"Yo."

"Did you find a messenger?" Sai inquired.

"I did. I wrote that we were slightly delayed and that we were planning on returning around midday tomorrow. Ah ramen? I wonder whose idea that was…" Kakashi drawled sarcastically.

"HA! For once it wasn't me Kakashi sensei! Sorami-chan kindly offered some of her ramen to share, and who would I be to refuse such a wonderful lady?" Naruto said dramatically.

"And who could deny such a wonderful boy his beloved food?" Sorami mimicked his tone and pinched him on the cheek.

"Oh you say that now Sorami, but just hang around him for a little while longer and you won't even be able to stand the sight of the stuff!" Sakura said exaggeratedly.

"It would be wise to eat healthier food dickless." Sai said casually.

Sorami choked a little on her ramen.  
"Excuse me??" She coughed out.

"RAHHH! SAI!!!" Naruto screeched attempting to pummel the boy.

Sorami was fidgeting in her seat a little uncomfortable hearing this disturbing secret that Naruto so obviously was trying to keep hidden.  
Kakashi noticed her discomfort.

"He's not really a eunuch." Kakashi said lightly, turning to her, slightly amused.

Naruto paused in his scuffle with his teammate.  
"WHAT?! SORAMI-CHAN YOU COULDN'T HAVE ACTUALLY BELIEVED WHAT HE SAID ABOUT ME!!"

Sorami had successfully turned a bright shade of pink from embarrassment.  
"I... uh… it was … he said it so casually… then you reacted so…umm…"

Kakashi decided to save the poor girl from her situation.  
"Sai gives people… unusual playful nicknames when he meets them. Naruto's nickname was "dickless" and Sakura "hag" or "ugly." He doesn't really intend any harm by them but I believe he does it just to get a rise out of his teammates every once in a while."

"Hmm… that's strange… well okay! Give me one Sai!" Sorami said enthusiastically.  
Naruto blinked at her.

"Sorami-chan! You don't want an insulting nickname from this baka!"

"Well sure I do! Nicknames are a sign of friendship and it's healthy to get a good jibe at yourself every once and a while, so bring it on! Hit me with your best shot!" She said challengingly.

Sai stared at her with a blank face.  
_"No one has ever actually asked for one before. 'A good nickname incorporates the subject's characteristics'…"_

"Come on I don't have all day!" Sorami said with a glint in her eye.

"…Spaz."

Sorami looked at him for a moment and then started to laugh.  
"You hit the nail right on the head kid! Although it isn't as insulting as I thought it would be, actually… I'm kind of disappointed in a weird way." She finished, collecting herself.

"Sai! Sorami-chan is not a spaz! I'm more of a spaz than she is!" Naruto shouted in an attempt to defend her, only to end up insulting himself.

Sakura and Sorami laughed, Sai smiled, Kakashi crinkled his eye, Naruto then joined in realizing what he had just said.

* * *

Sorami was wiping a tear from her eye from laughter when she caught sight of the object in Sai's hand.

It was a pad of paper and he was painting on it.

"Eh? What have you got there?" She directed at Sai.

"It is a painting I worked on today as we traveled." He stated.

"Do you paint often?" He gave a small nod.

"Oooh so you're an artist!" Sorami cooed.  
"May I take a look?" She asked scooting closer to him.  
He shrugged.

"Oh my, it's lovely. Really, you've got great talent and I can tell you put a lot into it: you really are a true artist." She said while roaming her eyes over the page.

It was an impressionist styled landscape: a depiction of the countryside they had traveled by in a colorful mass of swirls, shapes, and strokes.  
Even when she was through talking she stayed, taking in the artwork.

"I'm not finished. If you're done, you should leave: I will need room to continue." He said flatly.

"Oh right sorry." She said backing away.

"Don't be so rude to Sorami-chan! She even complimented your work! And you didn't even say thank you!" Naruto rounded on him.

Sai opened his mouth to retort but Sorami cut him off.  
"Naruto he's right! I know how artists can get when they are working, I'm thankful he was courteous enough to even let me view it before its completion! I was in the wrong staying for so long, but I just really thought it was beautiful that's all." She directed the last part at Sai with a smile.  
He smiled back, as was custom.

* * *

It was getting late and they all set up their sleeping arrangements.

Naruto, Kakashi, Sai and Sorami settled down into their spots: it was Sakura's turn for first watch so she was sitting quietly on a log by the fire.

"Sleep well everyone." Sorami said to the sky.  
"Sweet dreams Sorami-chan." Naruto got the same feeling of warmth even the second time.  
Kakashi nodded, Sai did not make any acknowledgement, and Sakura was a few feet away transfixed by the fire.

The men fell asleep after a few minutes; Naruto began to snore a bit loudly.

Sorami however was staring up into the infinite darkness deep in thought.  
She glanced over to the fire where Sakura too seemed lost in the recesses of her mind.

Sorami suddenly didn't feel much like sleeping anymore; she got up and walked over to Sakura's log.  
"Mind if I sit?" She asked in a subdued tone as to not wake the others.

"No, it's fine, but aren't you tired?" Sakura asked in a similarly hushed voice.

"Not especially, my head was just sort of cluttered with thoughts so I think I'll try again later."

Sakura nodded in understanding. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing in particular: the past, the present, and the future: how it's all tangled and jumbled and that's how we end up where we are. Haha it's hard to explain. What about you? I noticed you seem to have a lot going on up there too at the moment. What are you thinking about?"

"Sai." She whispered absently.

"Ooh! So that's the member of your team that catches your eye! He is very handsome no doubt…" Sorami started to ramble excitedly.

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" She whispered in an affronted tone.

"Well what do you mean then?"

"I was thinking about his nickname for me… I wonder if he really sees me that way. And if what he says is so, maybe that's why I've... had it so rough on the relationships front."

"What?! No way! A girl like you? Having troubles with boys? Sakura trust me: you have got it going on. No homo." Sorami joked raising a hand.

Sakura laughed.

"Seriously though! How could you possibly believe that? I mean even if **you** can't see it, you already know someone who did. Naruto! I mean, be honest, I'm sure his old fixation with you wasn't just about your killer personality."  
Sakura blushed a little.  
"Hahaha You need to be more confident! It's true! I have no reason to lie to you about this Sakura. And also, I don't think Sai really means it: I think he just has trouble expressing himself correctly. Like a preschooler! He tells the girl he likes that she's yucky and has cooties!"  
Sakura restrained her laughter.

"First off let me just say that it is practically impossible for Sai to have any feelings for me what so ever because the truth is… he doesn't really have any." She got a bit serious and gloomy at the conclusion of her sentence.

But Sorami started to laugh!

"It's not funny! It's really upsetting that he lacks something so basic, so human." Sakura said sadly.

"I'm sorry Sakura but what you're saying is ridiculous not to mention impossible!"  
Sakura understood how a civilian would find this impossible and was about to explain about Sai and his desensitization in ROOT but Sorami wasn't done yet.

"You see he **must** have emotions. He is an artist. True art is all about emotion and expression of the soul. You see now? I saw his soul and all the emotions he felt today on that canvas he showed me."

"Sorami I know you thought the picture he showed you was beautiful but you don't know him like we know him: he really doesn't even know what feelings are and he doesn't feel." She said despairingly.

"Okay maybe he isn't aware of them, maybe he can't understand them, and maybe to everyone around they don't exist! But they **are** there: somewhere deep down they rest and then they find release in the only way he knows: to create. That's what makes his art so wonderful: it's pure and untarnished by conscious thought." Sorami said dreamily.

"Maybe he just needs people around him to make him more aware of those feelings.…Maybe one of those people is you Sakura." She said in a mysterious and knowing way.

Sakura stared at her.  
"I-uh if that were true I'd want to help Sai realize his feelings but I… I just don't think it would work out between us… that way." She said awkwardly.

"Aye-yaaa! You and "that way!" Sorami said throwing her hands up jokingly exasperated.  
"Why not this time? I mean I get the whole best friend thing with Naruto but it doesn't seem to be the case with Sai, so what's holding you back? Sure he's quiet and when he does speak he's a little socially inept, from what I've seen, but I kind of like his bluntness actually: there's no bullshit there, he's just being real. He's an artist, and that's always a turn on, and I can tell he cares about you. And we must not forget, most importantly: he is **very** nice to look at! All dark and troubled, gotta love that look." She said suggestively nudging Sakura in the ribs.

Sakura noted how Sorami could go from being deep and thoughtful one moment to girly and flippant the next.

"He is really handsome, that is so true… painfully true."

Sorami looked Sakura in the eyes noting her dark tone.

"How so sweety?"

"He just… the way he looks… his hair… his eyes… even parts of his face... he reminds me of someone from my past…"

* * *

**A/N:** I didn't want to end it there but the chapter was getting a little longer than most.  
But I'll be sure to write the next one in a jiffy so we can finish Sorami and Sakura's little heart to heart.


	11. Little Girls and Boys

"Reminds you of someone…" Sorami said thinking back.

"Can I take a wild shot in the dark here?" Sorami asked.

Sakura was confused by her reply but a little curious about what she would come up with so she allowed her to speak.

"Was it that boy… from your team… Sasuke?"  
Sakura turned her head away and a shadow covered her eyes.

"How did you know?"

"Oh I'm just a **fantastic** guesser that's all… and plus Naruto mentioned someone named Sasuke who stole "the love of his young life's" affections." Sorami was hoping that little running joke would lighten her mood but her eyes were still set downward.  
There was a long silence between the two.

Sakura decided to continue.  
"He reminds me too much of Sasuke. They're both dark haired, dark eyed, silent boys, whose looks could get them anything they wanted. Both with troubled pasts, both stronger than I am, both a little socially inept…" She smiled sadly, remembering.

"Well if you don't mind me asking, what's so wrong with being like Sasuke? I know he was your childhood crush and all but that doesn't mean you should compare him to every boy you meet."

"It's more than that… I-I don't know. I guess it's… a long story." Sakura sighed.

Sorami peered into her face.  
"I have time, if you want to talk about it."  
Sakura was reluctant but when she looked into the woman's eyes something inside encouraged her to speak.

"I first started to like Sasuke when we were just small children, everyone had a crush on him though, and I thought "what were my chances," right?

So it started with admiration: he was the top student, he was great at everything he did, and of course he was the cutest little boy in school.  
He made me want to be better just by watching him in class.  
I wasn't the best at anything but I was a pretty smart kid so I studied and got the top written grades: I hoped that maybe that way he would notice me and set me apart from the other girls because I wasn't as pretty as they were.  
It didn't really work, but I still worked hard and tried my best to succeed anyway, because well, that's just who I am I guess.

So we grew older and Sasuke grew distant. I mean he had always pushed away the girls when he was really little (you said it yourself: "yucky") and he was always pretty reserved but when he was around eight… something terrible happened to him… and he just shut off from the world completely.

As the foolish little girl I was, I agreed with all the other fan-girls when they said that his reclusive nature only made him more desirable. "Oooh he's so mysterious!" "Wow he's so deep, brooding, and sensitive!" "He's sooo cool and collected." So we bugged him everyday with things like requests for dates, making squealing noises at him, and crowding around him."  
Sakura slumped her head down.  
"Oh god was I an annoying child!"

"Oh come on: you were young and stupid!" Sorami said in mock defense.  
"Gee thanks."  
"I'm just telling it like it is." Sorami shrugged.

"That went on for a while (I really don't know how he survived) then we graduated from the academy to be Genin and were put on three man squads. I prayed to whoever was listening that I would be the lucky girl placed on Sasuke's team: I figured that when we were teammates he would instantly open up to me, get over his "shyness," find me to be amazing, and then we would be inseparable and then… ugg. I just can't get over how idiotic I was…

Low and behold my prayers were answered and we were placed on the same team.  
I was so excited and was so sure that it was meant to be, that fate had brought us together!  
But the first time I really tried to talk to him he shut me down and put me in my place: told me straight out how annoying I was.  
That's when I realized the whole cold and silent thing wasn't just for show.  
So slowly I tried holding back, be less of a brat, just try to be a good teammate and be nice to him then maybe he'd like me.

* * *

During our missions I started to really appreciate Sasuke not just for his looks or his skill but for who he was beneath all the coldness.

He was always there protecting me. Coming to my rescue when I needed saving and always catching me when I fell.  
I know it's not much but it meant a lot to me and it showed me that he really did care; it proved he was a good person.

Even though I was most definitely the weakest one on the team, I know that when he was the one in trouble I was the one that was there for him too.

There were times where I put my life on the line for him: I've battled people beyond my capabilities, jumped in front of demons, and even gotten dragged off a cliff for this boy.

I was there when he was venerable and weak, there when he was angry or distraught; I was there when all his faults and inner demons were on display. But it was those times that I felt the most for him, it was during those moments that I learned that it wasn't just a crush… it was love**.** Heart wrenching, earth shaking, life confirming love.

You know the old adage "You like someone for their qualities but you love someone for their faults."  
It's true.

* * *

Everyone told me it was just a crush or puppy love but I knew it was the real thing. There were so many little things that told me.

He opened up to me, depended on me, and let me help him when he was in pain. That may not sound very deep, but for a guy whose whole life was pride and secrecy it's a pretty big deal. It made me feel so close to him and I could always feel his pain and wanted nothing more than to save him from it.

When he was hurt or I thought the worst had happened to him it was like my heart was torn in two. The thought of losing him from my life was just soul shattering.

Another thing, and this may sound silly, but we shared little moments that I cherished beyond anything in my life… I doubt he even remembers them… like once, after a tough mission, he was beaten pretty badly and I began to help him to stand but then he flinched and I could tell, without him having to say anything, that he wanted to rest so I set us down on the grass, his head rested in my lap, and my arm laid across his chest. It was so wonderful and for the first time since I had met him he actually looked peaceful... bordering on content. It was pure bliss to me. To share a small moment of happiness in his life, to give him a bit of relief from his troubles, it was all I could ever want.

There were those good times and then there were the bad ones…

I know some of his darkest secrets and I was there during his darkest time: yet I soothed his demons and held him close, never backing down or letting go.  
I was there to fight off his darkness… but as much as I wish I could have been there to comfort him and take away all the darkness in his life: I couldn't. His past was too engraved in black and he wouldn't let me in, he was **always** pushing me away.

That darkness that tainted his life lured him from us and consumed him.

* * *

(S/L: Fort Minor- Where'd you go [Sasuke's abandonment])

He left.

Left the village, Naruto, Kakashi…

He left me.

The night he went… I remember it so clearly, I've tried to forget.

I had known Sasuke had been going through a lot lately so I went to talk to Naruto about it over ramen, he told me I shouldn't worry. We finished eating and I was walking home when this feeling, this terrible feeling, swept through me. I ran as fast as I could to the road near the village gates and I waited.

I **knew**.  
I knew what he was planning.  
I knew** him.  
**He is a part of me and I could feel that part of me going away.**  
**So I waited. He came, just like I knew he would.

I tried to make him stay.  
I told him that I loved him.  
I poured my very soul out for him, offered him my heart, my life, my loyalty. Everything.  
He left me.  
He threw away everything I offered him.  
He didn't want it. It wasn't enough for him.  
He didn't want **me**, I wasn't good enough."

Sorami's eyes were swimming with tears as she stared into Sakura's, Naruto's same words echoing in her mind.

"His last words to me: thank you.

Thank you!

How polite." Sakura half laughed half sobbed but pulled herself together quickly.

"Thank you, but no thank you.

…I know he didn't mean it that way of course.

But that's all I could hear.  
He hit me in the back of the neck and set me on a bench.  
He could have left me on the ground!  
So I guess that shows he cared a little.  
Or maybe he just figured a girl asleep on a bench would gain less notice then a girl sprawled out on the road." She laughed cynically again.

"I loved him…

That annoying, weak, sensitive, little girl loved that hurt, angry, and proud little boy.

I was so depressed afterwards; there was no describing the pain…  
I still loved him even after he left me like that, I loved him with every fiber of my being. Can you believe that? I was determined to get him back. I worked hard so that maybe I could be good enough to get him back.

We saw him a while back… he was… he was not the boy I knew.  
He got what he wanted, he was powerful, incredibly so, but at what cost? He was cold, heartless, unfeeling it was like the Sasuke I knew had died.  
He acted like we were nothing to him.  
I couldn't believe it, refused to, it was too much, but then he proved it.

He tried to kill Naruto.

His best friend.

My best friend!"

She drew a deep breath.

"I wanted to hate him, wanted to give up on him, but I just can't. We can't stop; if we give up then that little boy that I loved will really be dead. And I just can't seem to let him go.

So this is one of the reasons I couldn't be with Sai. He is a replacement on the team; he always has to live in the shadow of a man who we just can't seem to give up on. If something were to emerge between us there would always be that question: am I with him or just trying to replace Sasuke?"

She paused.

"It's partially why I went out with Naruto… seeing Sasuke like that.  
It's not like I haven't had the opportunity to date but I always held the childish notion that he would come back and we would be together.  
It was one of my reasons why I always automatically rejected Naruto's advances; I felt it would be a betrayal of Sasuke.  
But after seeing him, I decided that I deserved better.  
I deserved someone like Naruto: someone who would treat me with love and respect and never let me down.  
Naruto **never** let me down, ever.  
He is always there for me.  
He loves me unconditionally.

…Why?

Why can't I love Naruto?  
What is wrong with me?  
He's everything I need, everything I should want!  
But I don't!  
Why is that!?  
Why don't we have that feeling?!  
I want that! Why can't I have that with him?!  
Ahh!" She shouted in frustration.

She realized that she had been too loud as Naruto snorted and rolled over almost waking.

She continued in a miserable hushed tone:

"Why can't I just let go of him?  
After all he's done…  
Why do I still…  
I…  
I… I can see myself through your eyes Sorami…"  
She said dazedly while squinting and tilting her head to the side to get a better look.

Sakura was indeed looking at her own crystal clear reflection staring back at her in the teal haired woman's eyes.

Sakura blinked. She seemed to snap out of the trance of telling her story.

The image was gone and there was just a blurry shadowy reflection of Sakura's form and the dim glow of the fire in the gray pools.

"Yeah, I get that a lot actually. People tell me I'm incredibly easy to talk to and when you speak your problems aloud it helps get some perspective and helps you reflect on your own life. I mean I don't really do anything special but listen intently and try to put myself in your position and--"

"No, no, that's not what I meant."  
"Oh…uh… then what did you mean then?"  
"I meant I could **literally** see myself. Like a mirror."  
"Really? That's weird… Well did you like what you saw?"  
"Huh?"

"Sakura you have this over powering desire to prove yourself, to seek approval from those around you, Naruto has it too. But the difference is Naruto has this almost boundless sense of self-worth and confidence while you seem to think so little of yourself.

So the best explanation that I can give you at this time about why you would literally see your own reflection in my eyes is because it's your subconscious manifestation of what I would see when I look at you. So I ask again: do **you** like what you see?"

"It's not there anymore. I can't see it."

"Okay well that's not the point; I'm not speaking literally here."

Sakura thought about it.  
"I don't know..."

Sorami smiled.  
"Okay first question: what do you see when you look at yourself Sakura."

"I see a fifteen year old girl, with short choppy pink hair, and pale green eyes."

"Okay and then… I know you know more about yourself then that..."

"Well I'm not as "pronounced" in the chest area as most girls my age…"  
Sorami slapped her over the back of her head lightly.

"What was that for? I'm just telling you what I see! Ugg… this is so ridiculous."

"Because your being a fool! First of all, you're young; you still have time to grow in that respect, and even if you don't, small is better than saggy alright? And it was also for not following directions! I said I wasn't just speaking literal woman!  
…And no it's not." Sorami finished sticking her tongue out childishly.

"Fine then… I see a kunoichi.  
…No: I see a pretty strong chunin, kunoichi actually.  
In fact I see the Hokage's apprentice: a talented young medical ninja who is strong, intelligent, and trustworthy." Sakura said, a smile growing on her face. Sorami smiled back encouragingly.

"I see a girl who is friends with the most amazing people in the world, who is prized for her brains and is an asset to her village. A girl who is completely loyal, fights for the things she believes in, and doesn't give up. I see a girl who, when she is hurt, puts on a brave face for those she loves instead of crying over it. Someone who has matured and has seen things way beyond her years. She has a bit of a temper issue at points but never really means it. I see a girl who is sympathetic and kind to those she meets and loves to help people."

"Good. You can stop there because honestly we could probably go on forever. Now I ask again. Do you like what you see?"

"I do. Of course I do."

"So now you know that that is exactly what I see when I look at you too: a beautiful, strong, intelligent, kunoichi who has a great heart and so much to offer." Sorami said softly.  
"And if somebody can't see that when they see you, then they must be blind." She said as if it were a statement of fact.

Sakura knew who she meant when she said that.  
"So Sai's silly little nickname shouldn't give you any more troubles right? Right."  
Sorami knew that Sakura knew who she meant.

* * *

"Sorry for dumping all this on you Sorami, I mean we barely met and here I am explaining my silly teenage love life. I guess I've just never had anyone to talk to about it: Naruto is my best friend and a sensitive guy and he would listen, but he would be to involved with it to talk about it. My other best girl friend Ino: I don't know if I'd be able to talk about this with her: we sort of have a bad past concerning Sasuke. My shisou and I have a close relationship but she's always so busy and I wouldn't want to bother her with my trivial problems. So sorry about that, I don't know what came over me."

"Sakura, don't apologize! Like you said yourself, telling stories is what you do around a campfire! And we're friends, you should know if you ever want to talk about anything you can tell me, I'll always listen. And I know how rough the whole relationship road can be, believe me over my time I've had my share of heartache." Sorami groaned facing the sky.  
"Wow how long have we been chatting? The moon has already moved across the sky."  
Sakura looked up.  
"Yeah my watch shift is almost over; I'll have to wake Kakashi sensei soon."

"Oh! Really? Kakashi's shift is next? Soon. Hmm, wow it **is** late. I should probably be heading off to sleep then." Sorami said awkwardly. Sakura smiled wickedly.

"Soramiiiii" She had a mischievous tone in her voice.

"Yes Sakuraaaa?" mimicked Sorami.

"I've noticed you seem to get a little nervous when you talk directly to Kakashi sensei..."

Sorami scoffed.  
"I'm sure I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about Sakura my dear." She replied impishly, tapping Sakura on the nose with a finger and starting to saunter back to her sleeping area.

Sakura was more curious than ever now that she had a hint that her suspicions may be correct.  
"So why are you running off to bed the second you hear you'll be alone with him? Hmm?" Sakura countered playfully.

"I just feel tired that's all." She said expanding a fake yawn.

"Oh come on! Here I am spilling my guts out to you and you won't even tell me a little!"

Sorami laughed  
"I'll talk to you in the morning Sakura, goodniii-iight" She said in a sing-song voice as she went to her mat.

"Tease." Sakura grumbled.

* * *

**A/N: **If you want to know the song I always thought described Sakura and her realationship to Naruto really well: Verticle Horizon- Everything You Want

=D


	12. Fill in the Spaces

At five thirty Naruto, who had taken the last watch for the night, had woken all the members of their party save for Sorami. He had decided to let her sleep in because she wasn't accustomed to getting up so early.

They had all packed up their things and made breakfast.

"I think somebody should wake her up now…" Naruto said.  
"Not it!" He finished hurriedly, not wanting to face the woman's fierce attitude towards morning.

Sakura smiled to herself.  
"Oh Kakashi sensei! I think you should be the one to wake her up!"

"Hmm? And why's that Sakura?" Kakashi asked suspiciously glancing up from his book.

"Oh no reason, no reason! Just a suggestion!" Sakura said cheerfully.  
_"CHA! If you aren't going to tell me how you feel towards Kakashi sensei Sorami __**dearest**__, then I'll just have to do a little experiment to see how you react!"_

"Uh-huh." Kakashi said doubtfully but shrugged and lazily walked over to the sleeping woman.  
Sakura watched closely as he walked: anticipating the confrontation.  
He stopped, noticing her intense stare, and looked over at her questioningly. She quickly diverted her gaze.  
_  
"Now what could she be up to? Is this some sort of prank or devious plot she's concocted? I should proceed with caution just in case."_  
He crouched down next to the bundle of blankets that was Sorami.  
He nudged her softly then retracted his hand quickly in case it was a trap.

"Mmmm the chickens can wait… five more minutes" Sorami mumbled in her sleep as she rolled over and her blanket toppled off. Her face was now exposed, eyes closed, hair sprawled out over her pillow, and facing a crouched over Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled at her completely random sleep induced utterances and studied her peaceful countenance.  
_"They always look cute when they sleep don't they..."_

"It's time to get up, the chickens can **not** wait." He said with amusement lacing his voice.

Sorami's brow scrunched up… she recognized that voice from somewhere…  
Her eyes fluttered open slowly.  
"Hi there." He said in that god awfully smooth voice. He gave a small wave and an eye crinkle.

Sorami's tan face lit up a light shade of pink and grasped the covers under her chin tightly: there was a handsome man hovering above her and she had just woken up mumbling idiotic phrases to him complete with morning breath.

She clamped her mouth shut tight and tried to get a grip on herself, lowering the color on her face.

"G'mrnin!" She tried to let escape from the side of her mouth sheepishly.

"I take it you slept well." He said not moving from his position above her, still holding a slightly amused tone at her odd antics.  
He was enjoying teasing her.

"Mmm! Mm-hmm!" She hummed in concurrence, nodding shakily and giving a closed mouth smile, still not wanting him to get a whiff of her rank morning breath.

"I'm glad." He said sweetly.  
Sorami expected him to back away at this point but he simply stared at her contently in silence.  
She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks again as she looked back at him.  
_"What in the world is going on with me? I never act like this around guys! Gosh I love his voice, it's like velvet. Why is he staring at me like that!? I wonder what he looks like under that mask... Arg! Stop that!"_She tore her gaze away and looked to the side to avoid the blush creeping up on her.  
"Uh… did you… umm… need something?" Sorami said flustered.

"Not really, I just wanted to be the first to greet you when you awoke." He responded, charmingly.

_"Okay, now I know something is up…"  
_Sorami saw Sakura watching their interaction on the edge of her seat. Sai and Naruto too were watching with silent interest. Well, Naruto with interest and confusion, Sai was just smiling, probably taking mental notes on male-female relations.

_"Oh why not just bust out the popcorn while we're at it! I have a feeling that this has something to do with that pink haired she-devil."_ Sorami thought narrowing her eyes at the scene.  
_"Fine, I'll give them something to watch."_Sorami took in a breath and pushed her nervousness and embarrassment to the side.  
She snapped her eyes back to return Kakashi's gaze.

"Oh really? Well I wouldn't mind waking up to your handsome face more often: you can do it anytime you like, any **way** you like, sweet thang." She said over-seductively a hand caressing down his cheek.

Kakashi was shocked for a millisecond by her response but realized that she was just teasing back; he decided he was enjoying this game and messing with his ex-students was an added bonus, so he continued.

"You should be careful; I might take you up on that offer." He responded huskily.

"Well maybe you should, I could show you how I li--hahaha!" Sorami burst into hysterics in the middle of her heated retort.  
"haha… aaah man! I couldn't do it! I tried! But it was too much." She said trying to pull herself together.

"How cheesy can you get?! I'm surprised I got past calling you 'sweet thang!'  
Speaking of sweet thangs and cheese, what's for breakfast?" She said cheerfully, getting up and looking over to the group of young shinobi.

Sakura had fallen over onto the floor twitching, Naruto was now completely lost with his head hung to the side, and Sai was still sitting contentedly.

-------

They had eaten breakfast, packed up the campsite, and piled into the wooden cart to set off on the road towards Konoha again.

Naruto once again had claimed his rightful place next to Sorami in the driver's bench.

"So I was talking to Sakura yesterday..." Sorami said leadingly.  
Naruto stayed silent.  
"Don't you want to know what about?" Sorami asked, displeased that he wasn't showing interest.

"I just assumed you were going to finish anyway." Naruto grinned and shrugged.

Sorami pouted.  
"Fine, fine. 'What did you and Sakura talk about yesterday'" He asked rolling his eyes.

"Oh, nothing, just you." She said dismissively but smiling.

"Me?"

"Yep!"

…

"Well aren't you going to tell me what you said?"

"Hmm? Why would I do that?"

"Sorami-chan!"

"Okay! Okay!" She laughed.

"We were talking about how you and she dated not too long ago."

"Oh yeah, **that**." Naruto said forlornly looking away.

Sorami was stunned and felt bad for bringing it up.  
"I… you sound upset… from the way Sakura explained it… I mean, it sounded to me like you both felt it wasn't going to work… but do you still…?"

"It's not that: I don't think that Sakura and I would be right for each other, and don't think of her that way anymore, it's just… I've loved Sakura my whole life, in what I thought was a really special way, but now that I don't have that, I feel kind of… I dunno, I feel like something's missing."

"The passion in your life is dwindling! Well that can be fixed easily enough! All we have to do is find you a pretty girl!" She said excitedly winking at him.

"Sorami-chaaaan!" Naruto said slightly blushing.

"What?! It will be a peace of cake with a stud like you!" She said nudging him.

Naruto was turning a darker shade of pink.  
"It's not that simple Sorami-chan! I mean… I guess… I want a girl that's… you know… special!"

"Aww Naruto, you are just too adorable! That's so sweet! You want somebody to loooooove." She said teasingly pinching his cheek and waggling it back and forth.

He swatted her hand away and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's not so easy okay? I mean Sakura is… well…" He was blushing again, always becoming a little sheepish when talking about relationships.  
"She's the only girl that I know well and talk to really." Naruto said looking up at the sky.

"Oh now I know that's not true! You must know some other girls go on, list them!"

"Well I **know** other girls; I just don't hang out with other girls very often."

"I said list the females!" Sorami exclaimed.

"Okay uhh… there's Tsunade-baa-chan,"

"Baa-chan? Too old. I'm talking your age kiddo! Next!"

"Umm well let's see, the other girls I know that are my age are mostly in the rookie nine… there's Sakura's friend Ino from team ten..."

"What about her?" Sorami asked hopefully

"What **about** her?" Naruto repeated skeptically.

"Have you thought about taking her out? She's probably got a lot in common with Sakura since their friends, so you might hit it off."

Naruto blanched.  
"No way Sorami-chan! Ino?! Everyone says she's gorgeous and whatever but eww. She's so mean! And she's shrill and bossy and stuck up and conceited and shallow and selfish and complains about everything and--"

"Okay! I get it: vote no on prop Ino. Try to think of a girl you actually like then!"

_"Okay girls I know that I like… let's see rookie nine friends hmm… oh of course!"_

"I almost forgot! Hinata-chan!"

"Oooh! A -chan and an excited voice! Now we're getting somewhere!"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Nothing! Tell me more about this Hinata-chan of yours…"

"Well let's see she's kinda weird, she's so quiet and shy and she stutters a lot, but when she does talk she's really nice! She always tries her best and works really hard too! She's always been really kind to me ever since I met her and always seems to cheer me up when I'm down!"

"She sounds wonderful."

"Yeah Hinata-chan is pretty great!"

"Why not ask her out? Is she pretty?"

"I uh… I've never really thought about her like that before… but umm yeah I guess I think she's pretty."

"What does she look like?"

He blushed as he thought; it was very strange for him to spend this much time thinking about Hinata-chan. He closed his eyes and tried to remember.

"Well she's got really nice, long, dark hair and in the light it shines a pretty sort of blue color. She has really fair skin and she blushes a lot so it's really easy to see. She has these really cool eyes, they're like a soft white-lavender, they remind me of the moon sometimes. Her smile is small most of the time, but when she does smile at you, it's great: it's like it was meant **just** for you, and you know it's genuine just like her. And her face overall… I-I mean she's good-looking… I don't even know how to describe it… umm I guess she's got this unique grace to her, if that makes sense."

"Perfect sense. The way you describe her, she sounds absolutely lovely." Sorami said tenderly.  
_"The way he describes her, he may have already found the girl to fill that space in his heart and he doesn't even know it."_

"Yeah I suppose she is." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"Well then it's settled! When you get back you'll go sweep her off her feet!"

"I-I-I dunno, I mean, H-Hinata-chan?" Naruto said nervously.

"What's wrong with her?!" Sorami asked accusingly.

"N-nothing, nothing at all! It's just I don't know if we'd hit it off: her being all timid and polite and sweet then me being all loud and obnoxious. I don't think she would like me like that, I feel like she would get annoyed of me."

"They say opposites attract, and you're great company Naruto! You never know unless you try."

"Maybe... but Hinata-chan is soooo… good. Too good for me I bet."

"NONSENSE! You speak gibberish boy!"

"It's true! She comes from this really impressive family and their all sophisticated and wealthy and refined, and I'm… not any of that. And Hinata-chan's so pure and flawless and stuff why would she want to be with someone like me?"

"None of that matters, and you are incredible, so she has to be stupid not to know that."

"Hinata-chan isn't stupid! She's really smart! I even wanted to cheat off her test once!" He said defensively.

"Exactly! So I'm sure, being the bright girl she is, she would be delighted to go out with you! It's just something to think about honey."

Naruto pondered what she said.  
"_Hinata-chan is a good friend and she's basically the nicest person I've ever met in my life, but it would be so weird asking her out! What if she rejected me?! What if I ruined our friendship!? I really do like her, I would never want to make things more awkward between us then they already are: she barely talks to me as it is when I'm around her!"_

Sorami could tell he was having inner conflict so she decided to relieve him of it: he didn't have to decide right this moment, he should give it time.

"So did you end up cheating off her?"

"Huh? What?" Naruto said losing his train of thought.

"You said "I wanted to cheat off her once" So did you?"

"Naaah, I didn't. I was afraid of getting caught and plus I didn't want her to get in trouble either just because I didn't know the stupid answers." He said rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh! Atta boy! You are a true gentleman darling, so what was this test? Was it really that hard that you had to resort to cheating?" She gushed linking her arm with his and patting it appreciatively.

Naruto began his tale of the chunin exams and they continued to discuss and laugh nonstop while they traveled.

(S/L: Noah and the Whale- Five Years Time. [Another travel music montage lol])


	13. Apples to Apples

"Ah-ha! Here we are! At last!"

"Err… Sorami-chan… this isn't Konoha."

Sorami had pulled their cart over to the side of the road and hopped down and started walking towards the trees.

"Oh really? Oh well! I never was the best with directions." She turned and said sarcastically.  
"Of course I know we're not in Konoha, we're in the middle of the forest!"

"Why have we stopped? Is something wrong?" Sakura called to her.

Sorami walked to the back of the cart and leaned on the edge to talk to her.

"Well daaahling, it's around lunchtime; I decided that I was hungry and here I found myself surrounded by a free food. What a fool I would be to pass up a chance like this, ne?"

Sakura looked around and noticed that they were parked next to a large forest of wild apple trees.

"You all wouldn't mind if we stopped to grab a bite to eat right? We've been traveling for hours, we're almost to your village, and it would do some good to stretch those legs. How 'bout it?" She said smiling to each of her passengers.

"It would save us on supplies and we've made better time than I expected. Apples sound delicious." Kakashi replied walking off the cart casually, nose still in his book.

Sakura and Sai followed suit.

* * *

Sorami walked over to a tree and grabbed hold, basically hugging it awkwardly in order to climb, and started to inch upward.

"Uhh Sorami-chan what are you doing?" Naruto asked, crouching next to her on the same tree, horizontal to the ground.

"ACK!"

Sorami lost her footing and fell to the ground.

She was laying on the ground rubbing her rear, when she looked up she found Naruto standing above her on the tree looking down at her.

"How are you doing that???"

"Doing what?"

"Standing on the tree like that."

"Oh, you mean this?" He said moving his feet on and off the tree.

"Yes that! Eh?"

A pair of arms were helping her up.

"He's directing chakra to his feet, regulating and manipulating it so that he can hold onto the tree. It's a very simple ninja technique and becomes almost second nature to us when climbing; it would probably be faster if you just let us get the apples for you." Kakashi said holding onto her arms and smiling at her.

She looked up at him and started blushing again at their close contact. Sakura smiled at her knowingly. Sorami's face fell.  
_"What the hell?! Since when do I blush!? Get it together woman!"_

She coughed and pushed away from him, brushing herself off and avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah Sorami-chan, leave it to me!" Naruto said excitedly.

"No, that's okay! I'd much rather get them myself thank you!" Sorami said cheerfully.

Kakashi was a little perplexed.  
"Are you sure? It's no trouble at all really. We're ninja; it would be a lot easier for us than it would be for you."

To demonstrate he opened up the palm of his left hand and flung a kunai upwards with his right into the canopy without even looking. After two seconds a ripe red apple landed directly into his outstretched palm, and then he caught the kunai midair as it fell back down. He offered the fruit to her, smiling.

This man was smooth.

Sorami grabbed the offered apple and inspected it. The stem had been cut clean through without even scratching the fruit. She then smiled sweetly at Kakashi and pressed the apple to his chest, handing it back.  
"Nope!"

She turned around and grabbed hold of the tree again and propelled herself up.

"Are you serious?" Kakashi asked incredulously, shocked by her denial of his suave offering.

"Yep! I'd rather do it the old fashioned way!"

Kakashi watched her shimmy up the tree slowly.  
_"This woman is a wonder."_

"Oh come on Sorami-chan! Lemme do it for you! I can get you sooo many in like five seconds!" Naruto pleaded.

"You know what? You do that Naruto. It'll be a game: get as many good apples as you can in the same time it takes me to get mine." She grunted, her face pressed against the bark.

"Alright! It's almost like training! You're on Sorami-chan!" And with that Naruto started darting tree to tree picking apples at lightning speed.

Kakashi was observing Sorami's wiggling behind as she scaled the tree, he smiled discretely under his mask.

As if sensing his eyes on her backside, Sorami looked back down over her shoulder at him.  
"You know, you guys could join the game too if you want. Prove to me what all that wonderful ninja training can achieve." She said challengingly.

Sai had seated himself under a tree and was now too busy sketching an apple inspired piece of work to participate in the contest.

"Sure, why not? It'll be like target practice!"  
Sakura shrugged and started languidly throwing shuriken at apples and retrieving the falling items at the same time. She started laughing; it was actually kind of fun. She was spinning around and leaping, catching falling fruit; it made her feel like a kid.

Sai flipped to a new page of his sketchbook as her watched Sakura laugh and twirl.

Kakashi stayed stationary, still staring up at her struggling form.  
"What about you Kakashi? You don't want to participate in our little competition? Afraid your big-bad ninja skills won't measure up huh?" She taunted, still making her way up the tall tree: she was nearing the top.

Kakashi chuckled.  
"No I think I'll just wait here and watch."  
_"I've got a pretty nice view."_  
"When we're done I'll steal some of Naruto's, he's got a big pile growing over there. It looks like you may have already lost this battle."

Sorami was stretching her leg out to get onto one of the higher branches and move off from the trunk.  
"Dooon't count on it." She said in a strained voice as she finally looped her leg onto the bough.

She had both legs dangling on either side of the limb and then pulled herself into a kneeling position. She then pushed up and was standing, she had to hold her arms out and grasp the trunk before fully getting her balance. She looked down to see if Kakashi was still watching and hoped he hadn't witnessed her terrible wobbling act.

He was leaning against the trunk of the tree casually, still staring, and smiling smugly at the struggling civilian woman.  
"You should be careful you know. You might slip and fall and then I'll have to go through the trouble of catching you." Kakashi drawled.

"Well then I **must** be sure not to burden you!" Sorami quipped.

* * *

She had let go of her hold on the trunk and was now slowly making her way to her target: a single apple hung from an upper branch.  
It was perfectly, red, ripe, and juicy.  
There was golden sunlight filtering through the leaves and it was as if the fruit were glowing.

It was like a sign.  
This was **her** apple.  
The apple she was **born** to pick.

She got to the middle of the branch and reached her hand up…  
She couldn't reach:  
she was just coming up short, touching it and causing it to sway.  
She couldn't give up! No! This was the chosen apple!  
She went up onto her tiptoes and stretched as far as she could go.  
Her fingers were sliding on the surface but not enough to pull it off the tree.  
_"Damn! Just oooone more inch and I can wrap my fingers around it!"  
_She hopped up. Her fingers wrapped around it fully.  
_"YES!!!"_

She landed on the branch again but it cracked and she lost her footing.  
"_Oh balls."_  
She fell backwards and plummeted down to the earth.

Sakura missed the apple she was about to catch and it hit her foot as she watched a woman's figure descend from the sky.

Sai's pencil stopped moving across the page and he glanced up.

Naruto had dropped all of his apples when he heard the branch crack and started to run.  
"SORAMI-CHAN!"

* * *

Sorami's eyes were clasped shut tightly.  
She felt her arms wrapped around something warm and her back and knees being supported by something strong.  
She peeked open one gray eye to be met by a smiling black one.  
She opened both eyes and stared at her savior.  
Kakashi was holding her bridal style and she was holding onto his neck for dear life.  
_"He looks even better close up!"_  
Her cheeks held a light blush.  
_"What am I thinking? He wears a mask I don't even know what he really looks like! But what I do see, I like..."_

"Now what did I tell you? You should have listened." Kakashi said endearingly.

_"He smells good, he shouldn't smell this good, it's not right! He's been camping for how long now? Did he just say something?"_

They stared at each other for a moment.

He leaned in.

"You can let go now, you know." He whispered.

Sorami's blush intensified and she leapt out of his arms as if he had burned her.

"Uh thanks" She said to the ground.

"No problem. Though, I must say, if you had just let us get the apples for you from the beginning you wouldn't have the need to thank me. Why did you insist on doing it yourself?"

Sorami snapped her head up and smiled proudly. She held up a hand: there was her apple.  
"This is why I did it!" She said happily.

"Yes, and Naruto has gotten about five hundred of those and you almost snapped your neck getting just one." He pointed his thumb at a pile next to Sai that was as tall as the sitting young man himself. Sai waved contentedly when she looked over.

"Yeah Sorami-chan he's right: you could have gotten hurt, you really scared me, and it looks like I won our little game anyway." Naruto added, still searching the woman for injuries.

Sorami shook her head and looked at Kakashi even though she was speaking to Naruto:  
"Nuh-uh I don't think so… you see, the thing is, I worked for this apple. I climbed that tree: no tricks, no help, and no tools: just me, the tree, and my sweat. I bet you anything that this little apple will taste ten times better than over a thousand apples you pick Naruto."  
With that she stared at Kakashi dead in the eye and took a large bite out of the glistening red fruit.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm" She hummed as she ate and smiled cockily at Kakashi.

She then tossed the apple to the side to Naruto, still not breaking eye contact with the silver haired man and placed her hands on her hips.

* * *

"Hey Kakashi sensei! She's right! This apple does taste better!" Naruto shouted happily.

Kakashi sweat dropped and glanced over to Naruto. He was munching on several apples at once and had taken a bite out of Sorami's: he was literally testing what she had claimed.  
"Naruto you know you're going to make yourself sick if you try to eat all those apples right?"  
Kakashi drew his gaze back to look at Sorami only to find her missing. He shot his head around; she had walked over to the cart and gotten into the cargo area.

He walked over to it; she was on all fours rummaging around her pile of belongings for something.  
"Do you need help finding anything?" He asked graciously as he heard an ominous crash.

"Nope! I… got it!" She said pulling out and holding up a large crate.

"What's that for?"

"All the apples of course! We can't possibly eat them all and I wouldn't want to waste them and all of Naruto's work."

She hopped down and walked over to the apple mountain and started placing them into her crate. Kakashi began to help her. She glanced at him and smiled.

* * *

They were slowly reducing the pile while Sakura, Sai, and Naruto ate their lunch and chatted.

"They're great kids you know." Sorami said.

"Pardon?" Kakashi replied.

"Your students: their really great, you must be very proud." She said warmly nodding her head towards the group of ninja.  
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, well, it's not my doing really; they just came out like that when I wasn't looking. I'm not even their teacher anymore."

"Oh? But they still call you sensei?"

"I think they do that just to make me feel old."  
They both laughed.

"But no, I can tell that you've had a major influence on them, I know you all have a relaxed relationship but it obvious that they have a lot of respect and admiration towards you."

"You think?" He said glancing towards the conversing teens.

"I do, and I think that it's because of you that they have turned out this well."

"Well thank you, I was just pretty lucky when I got them as my team. I didn't think so at first, but they've really grown on me. Like an incurable fungus."

Sorami laughed  
"Oh gee, what charming imagery."

"No matter what I do, every time I think I'm rid of them they just come back stronger than before."

"Hey Kakashi sensei! Are you talking about us over there!?!" Sakura yelled

"No, no, we're talking about apples." He replied holding one up to show her.

"Apples my butt!" She yelled, chucking an apple core at his head. He dodged it by tilting his head to the left.

"Ahhh yes, don't you just feel the adoration and respect?"  
Sorami giggled.

"Yeah, but as much as it pains me to admit, I do love my team: the little psycho kunoichi, the hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja, and… the rest." He finished convincingly smiling at her.

He didn't know if he should talk about Sai because he technically wasn't an original team member but was still part of his team and he didn't want to talk about Sasuke either because, well, he just didn't want to even go down that road.

Kakashi gave a small sigh at the thought.  
"What's wrong?" Sorami asked concerned, secretly wondering if his reaction was because of the infamous Sasuke she had been hearing so much about.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing." He said nonchalantly, smiling at her.  
Sorami wasn't convinced.  
"Oh, yeah, sure, right. I just like to breath heavily too sometimes." She finished her remark by giving out a long, exaggerated, wheezing sigh.

Kakashi laughed.  
"I suppose you could say that because I am so attached, when I fail them, it makes it that much harder on me. Sometimes I question if it's smart to feel so strongly for them."

"That is true, it might be hard, but would you really rather go on with your life being totally detached from them? I know I wouldn't… if I were you."

"No, I definitely wouldn't they make my life a whole lot more… interesting…"

He looked over to see Sakura holding Sorami's apple above her, playing keep away from Naruto, sticking her tongue out at him as he reached over her desperately trying to gab it. They were both struggling and arguing when Sai glanced up from his drawing and plucked the apple from her hand and ate the last bite. They froze, he smiled at them, and they pounced on him.

"Wouldn't trade them for the world."

As he was looking at the group he reached down to pick up one of the last apples.  
His hand touched another hand; he saw Sorami looking at their hands as well.  
She looked up into his face, smiled, and blushed lightly, pulling her hand away.

He picked up the apple and handed it to her, smiling.  
She took it courteously and placed it into the full crate.

"It looks like that's about all that will fit, we should get going." Sorami said looking away from him and was about to bend down to pick up the crate.

"Allow me." Kakashi said picking up the heavy, apple filled, box.

"Umm, thank you."

Kakashi nodded.

"Time to go guys! I've kept you away from Konoha long enough!" Sorami shouted cheerfully to the young shinobi.

Although she was saying it as a joke and her voice didn't show it: Sorami sadly knew what she was saying was the truth: she couldn't keep them.


	14. First Things First

After traveling for a few more hours a thin brown line was seen further up the road through a clearing in the trees. It was the village gates looming in the distance

"SAKURA-CHAN! We're home!!!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

Sakura's smiling face was leaning over the edge.  
"Yesss! I can't wait to take a nice hot, relaxing, shower!" She said, practically bubbling with anticipation.

"Nu-uh! You told me you were coming to Ichiraku's Sakura-chan! You can't back out now!"

"Oh come on! I'm all gross! I'll take a shower first and then meet you there!"

"No way Sakura-chan! Ramen first then shower!"

"You'd both be wrong." Kakashi called from the back.  
"We have to do a debriefing first."

Naruto turned a shade paler.  
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that… maaaan baa-chan is ganna slaughter us!" Naruto groaned.

Then there was silence for a few minutes.

_"Waaait a minute! It has never been this quiet on this trip…" _Naruto thought suspiciously. Then it hit him.  
_"Sorami-chan isn't talking! I wonder what's going on with her…"_

"So Sorami-chan have you ever been to Konoha in your travels?"

He looked over at her when she didn't respond: she was staring straight ahead at the upcoming gate.

"Sorami-chan? Is everything alright?"

"Huh? What? I'm sorry, what was the question?" She replied giving him a weak smile.

"Uhh I asked had you ever been to Konoha before."

"Oh, not personally, no. I've heard great things though!"

"Yeah it's the best village in the entire world! With the best ramen stand in the world ta-boot! I told you about Ichiraku's didn't I, Sorami-chan? Well anyway I basically go there every chance I get so you could say I'm like a ramen VIP and--"

Naruto continued on his ramen inspired speech but Sorami's mind was elsewhere as she watched the concrete of the village walls get closer and closer.

"--so then Choji comes in and he's all: 'I bet I can eat more bowls then you!' and I'm all 'Oh yeah?! I'd like to see you try!" and then… umm Sorami-chan are you sure you're okay?"  
Naruto had noticed that Sorami didn't seem to be listening, which was really strange for her, because she was always incredibly attentive when other people were talking, no matter what they were saying.  
Naruto had decided that she was the best listener he had ever met in fact, and also one of the easiest people to talk to in the world besides Sakura.

They could talk all day to each other nonstop and never run out of things to say, they had this natural connection; but now it seemed off.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, really I am. You were saying umm… something about… ramen?"

Naruto chuckled.  
"Good guess. But come on; tell me what's bothering you."

"It's just--" She hesitated, then looked down.  
"We're here." She stated solemnly.

"What?" Naruto asked, confused by her answer, then he looked up. The cart had stopped and the village gates were two feet in front of them. Happiness flooded him and then, just as quickly, realization struck him: their trip was over. Sorami was going to leave.

He spun back to look at Sorami and talk to her, only to find that she had disappeared.

----------

Sorami had gone around back and was helping her passengers down from the cart.  
When they were all down on the ground they turned to face her, all except Naruto whose head was turned away.

Sorami clapped her hands together.  
"We've finally reached our destination! Well, I guess this is it then!" Sorami exclaimed, putting on a mask of cheerfulness.

Kakashi felt a twinge of disappointment at their parting and he too was hiding what he felt, however he chose the guise of formality and protocol.  
"You have been very kind to us Sorami-san, we are indebted to you, and thank you most sincerely." He bowed deeply.

Sorami raised a brow

"How… disturbingly polite Kakashi… err…-san. You are quite welcome indeed." She gave him an exaggerated bow.

Kakashi chuckled: he knew she would see through it and wouldn't let him make their ending so formal.  
"It was truly a pleasure to meet you Sorami." He took her hand and kissed it with clothed lips suavely.  
She lit up like a Christmas tree.  
_"Why am I blushing at that?! It was so cheesy!_

_... I'm going to miss blushing at him."_

She hurriedly turned to the next person in the line up.  
"It was an honor spaz."  
Sai smiled at her and bowed as well.  
"Likewise kid."

She walked up to Sakura.  
Sakura wasn't smiling, she couldn't; she bowed her head politely.  
"Thank you for all your assistance Sorami, it was really great of you. It's been so much fun. We've only known each other for a few days but you have become a great friend. Thank you… for everything. I…I'm really going to miss you."

Sorami's eyes were filled with sorrow; they tugged at Sakura's heart.

"Sakura, I'm going to miss you more than you could possibly know."  
The two embraced each other, Sorami's eyes started to moisten as she pulled back; she laughed and sobbed at the same time, wiping it away.

She gave Sakura's shoulders a quick squeeze and turned to say her final goodbye.

She waited for Naruto to face her but he didn't.

"Hey you." Sorami smiled, but on the inside she was torn. He wasn't looking at her.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me?" She said, her voice cracking a little and tilting her head so she could peer into his face. Naruto still didn't move.

"Well I just wanted you to know: that you sir, are the most amazing young man I have ever met in my life, and these last three days hanging out with you have been more precious to me than you can even imagine. I feel like my life is a little brighter having known you, having known you all." She glanced at the others quickly but turned back to the blonde boy. He was still silent and his face only seemed to harden.

_"Maybe he just doesn't feel the same attachment to me as I do to him…"  
_  
Sorami lowered her gaze to the ground and turned back to her cart.

"Just… please… try not to forget me okay?" Sorami squeaked, her voice riddled with emotion.

She started to walk when her arm was grasped tightly and she was tugged into a powerful hug.  
Sorami fisted her hands in the blonde boy's jacket and clung desperately to his form.

"How could you think that I'd forget you Sorami-chan?" Naruto mumbled into her shoulder sadly.  
Sorami laughed wetly into his shoulder and squeezed tighter.

"I was so scared you weren't going to say goodbye!"

Naruto squeezed tighter,  
it was a miracle either of them could breathe.

-------------------

They stayed that way for minutes on end.

Finally Sorami loosened her grip and rubbed the young shinobi's back in a consoling and parting manner.

She waited.  
He didn't loosen his hold.  
Sorami patted his back in an extra sign of release and started to back away. Naruto gripped her closer.

"Stay." He said pleadingly.

"Naruto, sweetie, as much as I'd like this hug to go on forever, I think you're team needs to report in. I wouldn't want to keep you from them."

"That's not what I meant." He said pulling back so he could look at her but still not releasing completely.

Sorami scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion.

"I meant stay here, in Konoha, with us."

"W-w-what?" Sorami stumbled over her speech in shock.

"Please Sorami-chan! I just know you can make a home here! I'm sure of it! I don't want you to go! I don't want to say goodbye to you!"

"Oh Naruto, I wish I could! But it's not that simple…"

"Why not!? You said you've done it before, right?! So why not here? You'll love it here, I promise! I **never** break a promise Sorami-chan!"

"First of all I'd have no where to stay hon--"  
"You can stay with me! My apartment isn't that big, but we can both fit, it'll be great!"

"Naruto I couldn't do that to you! It's such an imposition and you've barely met me! For all you know I could be a terrible roommate!" She joked.

Naruto shook his head furiously.

"None of that matters Sorami-chan! I know you plenty and I know I want you to come live with me.  
So stay… with me." Naruto implored quietly.

"I-I don't have the right papers to settle down anywhere, I only have a traveler's pass. I mean it's so complicated, and I'd probably be denied on such short notice--"  
"You leave all the legal mumbo-jumbo to me! I can pull a few strings with grandma Tsunade and get you settled in no time flat!"

"Naruto I just don't know if it's right… it's so much to ask..."

A hand was placed on her shoulder.  
"It doesn't look like he's going to take 'no' for an answer Sorami." Kakashi noted, smiling at her.  
She looked at him with wide eyes.

"If you're willing Sorami, I think it'd be great having you here in Konoha too. You'd be more than welcome here." Sakura said eagerly.

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"Say yes Sorami-chan. You don't have to leave. You shouldn't have to be alone anymore." Naruto said tenderly staring straight into her eyes, holding her hands.

A moment passed and Sorami looked at each of them and then at the village gates.

She closed her eyes.

"There is nothing that I'd like more than to stay with you Naruto." Her eyes were tearing up and she was nodding.

"YATTA!" Naruto hugged her tightly, lifting her up and spinning her around.

_"Maybe this time it will be different…" _Sorami thought, smiling hugely and laughing with the enthusiastic boy twirling her about.

---------------------

"Well isn't this awkward? We've all said our heartfelt goodbyes and yet I'm still here!" Sorami joked dizzily after Naruto had finally dropped her.  
"So what now?"

"We must report in to the Hokage and discuss our mission and then you will try to get approval for your prospective living arraignments." Kakashi answered offhandedly as he started to walk away. Sai followed him silently.

"Come on Sorami-chan, we'll go in and I'll introduce you grandma Tsunade and that way you'll get a good look at my future office!" He grabbed her hand and practically started to drag her into the gates.

"Wait! Hold on Naruto! I just remembered: my cart and Lula! I need to find a stable where I can keep her!"  
Naruto halted; he didn't know anything about mules! How the heck was he supposed to know if Konoha had anywhere to keep them?! Luckily Sakura beat him to it.

"I know of a ranch-like estate near the mountains, I did a few D rank missions there before I became a chunin and the owners are good people, they would probably be willing to keep them for you, most likely for a small fee of course. Naruto, you, Sai, and Kakashi go ahead and report to the Hokage Tower, I'll escort Sorami and then meet you there."

"Great thinking Sakura-chan! Just hurry back; you know how I like to cower behind you when baa-chan gets all scary!"

The girls laughed. Naruto waved and ran off to catch up to Sai and Kakashi who had been leisurely walking in the direction of the tower.

Sorami grabbed the mule's reigns and started leading it as she and Sakura walked side by side.

Sorami took a shaky breath.

"What's up?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"I just can't believe this is happening!" Sorami laughed nervously.

"Now that I think about it, it is a pretty big step for you, huh? Are you sure you really want to do it? We wouldn't hold it against you if you changed your mind."

"No! I do. I really want to stay! It's just so sudden and so strange! I've been traveling and camping out for who knows how long, and now I'm going to live in an apartment in one of the great five shinobi villages. I met you all three days ago and you're already welcoming me into your lives and into your home with open arms. It's unreal! It's sort of overwhelming."

"Why shouldn't we welcome you? You've shown us nothing but compassion, kindness, and generosity. Over the last few days you've had such an impact on us and you just seem to fit into our lives so well, why not become a part of them?" Sakura remarked considerately.

"You all are so amazing, I don't know how I deserve this. And I mean, Naruto: that kid has got to have the biggest heart I have ever known, taking me in like this." Sorami said in disbelief.

Sakura chuckled.  
"Yeah, I can't say I'm terribly surprised by his demand for you to stay. Once he decides he likes something enough, he's determined to never let it go."

"I'm honored to even be considered one of those things." Sorami replied sincerely.

Sakura smiled warmly at her and they continued on contentedly to the ranch.

---------------

There was a knock at the door.

Tsunade would know that authoritative yet polite knock anywhere.

"What is it Shizune?"

The black haired assistance's head peeked into the room.

"Lady Tsunade, Kakashi's squad has returned from their mission from Kumo and is here for a debriefing."

"Hai, send them in." She replied, not looking up from her paperwork.

"Yes my lady." Shizune's upper half disappeared from the doorway.

After a few moments a new knock was heard at the door.  
"Enter!"  
Kakashi, Sai, and Naruto walked into the room.

Tsunade's pen halted and she glanced up: her hearing had only picked up three sets of male footsteps when they came through the door.

"Where is Sakura?" Tsunade shot accusingly.

Even though the statement sounded aggressive, they all knew it was because she was secretly worried about the young missing kunoichi.

"She's fine. She is simply escorting a guest in town." Kakashi offered.

"A guest? Did they send a representative from Kumo to discuss part of the agreement? Is that why you were delayed?"

"No baa-chan! Sorami-chan is a friend we met up along the way and I need to talk to you about some kind of papers and---mph!" Kakashi's hand muffled Naruto mid sentence.

"Naruto, save that for later. No, they did not send a representative, but we have much to discuss about the mission and our delay so I feel it would be best if we start from the beginning." Kakashi sated seriously.

"Agreed. So how did it go? Did everything run smoothly since you sent word when you reached Kumogakure? Do you have the scrolls?"

Kakashi pulled out the two scrolls and handed them to her and she inspected them while he spoke.

"Everything went according to plan at the village: the jutsu was taught to your appointed shinobi and they showed no indication of desiring to break the agreement. They did not have any major discrepancies with the terms of the trade agreement, though they did make some reasonable modifications and clarifications as you can see marked on the document."

Tsunade grunted in agreement as she read the notes on the sides of the scroll.  
She looked up.  
"So everything went fine in Kumo and you have successfully delivered the scrolls. …Explain why you are late."

"When we were coming back through the land of lightning we were attacked and the scrolls were stolen."

**"WHAT?!?!"** Tsunade boomed as she stood up slamming her hands on her desk.

Just then Sakura walked into the room cringing and silently closed the door behind her.  
_"Oh great I came just in time for the best part."  
_  
She then walked over apologetically and stood next to her team.  
Kakashi glanced over at her looking worn down.  
Sai nodded to her gravely.  
Naruto looked appreciative for the interruption and just for her being there for support.  
Tsunade gave her a quick acknowledging glare before returning her attention to the team leader.

"How did this happen?! This is why I chose your group specifically for this assignment! So that something like this **wouldn't** happen! Do you not understand the importance of these scrolls?! How did you get them back?! Have they been tampered with?! Are these even real?!" Tsunade shouted, picking up the scrolls and shaking them at Kakashi's face.

"I assure you they are real and have not been altered. We retrieved them unharmed."  
Tsunade sat back down in her chair seething.  
"WHAT. HAPPENED." She sounded out clearly.

She placed her elbows on her desk and laced her fingers together under her chin in a serious, thoughtful manner. She closed her eyes in contemplation and in an attempt to gain control of her temper while she listened.

Kakashi began to recount their encounter with the thief in great detail.  
Each member of the squad added their own specifics once their part in tale the came up, and in doing so, found out about what each had missed in the battle.

Kakashi finished by explaining how he was defeated.  
Tsunade was silent for a moment.

"So you're telling me: one man took down a whole squad of highly skilled Shinobi, stole the scrolls, read them, returned the scrolls, took down the squad again without even a major injury and then vanished without a trace?"

There was no response.

"Was there any indication of what village he hailed from? Anything?" She asked pleadingly.

"No Hokage-sama" Kakashi replied dejectedly.

She leaned back in her chair and sighed.  
"This whole thing is very strange. From what you told me, it would seem your attacker refused to use excessive force with you and the only objective was the information."

"Indeed our assailant claims not to have dark intentions." Kakashi took out two pieces of paper and handed them to the Godaime.

She read them over.

"Notes? Definitely odd… this note is from after you were attacked. What happened then? Did you at least do a search for this guy?"

"That is where we were delayed. Apparently the thief injected us with greater amounts of the sleeping agent in order to have time to escape and we were incapacitated for two days." Kakashi responded.

"I was the first to wake up from that and I found Sorami-chan had taken care of us while we slept. Then Sakura-chan woke up and healed everybody. Then we ate dinner and then Kakashi and Sai woke up but by then it was all dark so we couldn't do any searching." Naruto continued.

"This "Sorami" you said she is your guest? You brought her here?" Tsunade raised a quizzical brow at Kakashi. He nodded.

"Yeah! In the morning we searched but we didn't find anything so we were going to head home but then Sorami-chan offered us a ride and so we spent the rest of the trip with her and she was so great that I asked her if she wanted to stay here with us and she said yes!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Where is she now?"

"She's down the hall; I left her in the waiting room with Shizune." Sakura stated.

"Send her in, I want to meet her."

"Really?! Already baa-chan?! Ahh you're ganna love her!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly as Sakura rushed out of the room to retrieve the woman.

A few moments later Sakura walked in with a sheepish Sorami in her wake.

"You must be Sorami." Tsunade said critically.

"Uhh yes I am, Hokage-sama, it is truly an honor to meet you." Sorami said bowing deeply.

Tsunade was evaluating her appearance.  
There was a silence; Sorami fidgeted nervously under the woman's gaze.

"You came here to request residence in my village, did you not?" Tsunade asked after a moment.

"Oh yes, it's just I uhh didn't really expect to meet you or have my case to be handled directly by the village leader that's all, I mean your like the top… person…err, ninja."

Tsunade stuck her hand out expectantly.  
Sorami looked at it and blinked.

"Your papers?"

"Oh right! Of course! Sorry."

Sorami took out a small passport and identification and handed it to her.  
Tsunade looked them over.

"You wouldn't mind if we kept these for a while would you? We'll need some time to process your request and draw up the correct documentation."

"No, it's fine! Not a problem!" Sorami waved.

"Well then, if that is all, I suppose you should show our new guest around the village, you are all dismissed. Except for you Kakashi, I'd like to have a word with you." Tsunade said seriously.

Sai, Sakura, Sorami and Naruto bowed and walked out of the room.

Before she left Sorami gave a quick concerned glace to Kakashi, he smiled at her convincingly, then she nodded and gave a weak smile back.

---------------------

The door clicked behind the group and Tsunade and Kakashi were in the room alone.

"You know what could happen if the information from those scrolls were to be leaked, don't you?" Tsunade asked grimly.

"Yes, I do. If word spreads they will assume our village did it and we could have conflict. Do you plan on informing Kumogakure of the interception?"

"No, we can't, they might find that insulting as well: if they found out that we allowed them to be stolen they would take it as being careless and claim that we do not value their trust."

"So what do you have in mind?"

"I suppose the only thing we can do is try to find this guy before he speaks. We'll send an anbu team to investigate the area where you last saw the thief and have these notes analyzed for clues. We'll also create a sketch based on your descriptions and send it out to see if anyone has any info, hopefully we can get some leads. Speaking of leads: who is Sorami?"

"Aa. I had my suspicions of her as well. Her story seems a bit too convenient for my liking."

"And yet you trust her enough to bring her here? You two seem to get along well enough..." Tsunade remarked accusingly.

"If she is the thief I believe it wise to keep her as close as possible, raising the possibility of catching her and keeping her from leaking the information." Kakashi replied tonelessly.

Tsunade smiled.  
"My thoughts exactly, that's why I am allowing her to stay: if there is foul play afoot I'd much rather have it right under my nose. I'm going to send a team to do a background check on her and see if her story holds true."

Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime, as punishment for letting this mission go so terribly awry: I am suspending you from all missions."

Kakashi's face fell.  
"What?"

"Instead, for the time being, I'm appointing you surveillance duty on Sorami: keep an eye on her for suspicious activity until we can be sure of her innocence."

Kakashi remained silent for a moment and then let out a begrudging "Yes Hokage-sama."

"Consider yourself lucky that this is all the punishment you get Kakashi! This was an A rank mission, and although I'm not registering it as complete or failed quite yet; if we don't find this guy and that information leaks, we could have a major crisis on our hands. As team leader on this assignment, that responsibility rests with you as well as me."


	15. Welcome Home

As they left the Hokage's office Sai smiled, waved goodbye, then disappeared down the hall.  
Sakura, Sorami, and Naruto walked down the stairs of the tower.

"Well that went better then expected!" Naruto pronounced gleefully.  
"I thought for sure grandma Tsunade was going to have our heads for this one but I guess not!"

"Naruto aren't you concerned about what could happen if that information were to be disclosed? We could have a major catastrophe on our hands." Sakura stated grimly.

"Nah, I'm not too worried; I think she can handle the situation, and besides, I don't think the information will spread at all!" He stated confidently.

"How are you so sure?"

"Because the thief's note said he wouldn't!"

Sakura raised a brow and stared at him blankly  
"And you believe that." She said dully.

"Yeah, why shouldn't I? He was being honest in that other note, so why not this time? Have a little faith Sakura-chan!"

"Have faith… in a thief… that attacked us… stole our scrolls… and tricked us on multiple occasions. Excuse me if I have to question your logic on this one."

"Meh! Whatever, I just have a gut feeling that tells me that I don't have to worry about it. Soooo: I'm not!" Naruto said blissfully, shrugging.

"Unfortunately some of us don't share such boundless optimism." Sakura sighed.

Naruto stopped as they reached the bottom of the stairs.  
"Alright. So now we have to get down to business." He said seriously.

Sorami raised both eyebrows at him.  
Sakura was surprised by his abrupt change in disposition as well.  
"What do you mean?"

"You. Me. Sorami-chan.  
ICHIRAKU'S HERE WE COME!"

With that he grabbed the two girls' hands and zipped down the street, the girls practically flying in his wake.

"NARUTO! SHOWER!" Sakura screeched as she tried to pry his hand off of hers.

Sorami just laughed and enjoyed the ride.

------

There was the sound of shifting fabric of the banner that Ichiraku had come to associate with the entrance of a customer.

"Welcome! Have a seat!" Ichiraku said over his shoulder while tending the broth.

"Hey old man!" Naruto bellowed.

"Well if it isn't my number one customer!" Ichiraku chuckled as he turned around.

"You better believe it!" Naruto grinned at him.

"And Sakura too, always a pleasure!"

"Good afternoon sir" Sakura said politely.

"Oh my, and here is another lovely young lady you've brought to my shop boy! Who might you be Miss?"

"My name is Sorami; it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard great things about this place and your culinary skills from Naruto; I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little bit excited to taste for myself!"

"Well I'll try not to disappoint!" Ichiraku replied blushing slightly.

"Just you wait Sorami-chan, this stuff is going to knock your socks off!"

"So what'll it be you three?" Ichiraku asked smiling at them.

"I'll have the pork ramen please" Sakura said.

"I'll have the usual! How bout you Sorami-chan?"

"Uhh I don't know! I trust your expert opinion: what do you recommend?"

"Oh jeez, I mean it's all so good! And there's so many types to choose from! Let's see there's pork ramen, beef ramen… oh man am I hungry."

Sorami laughed.  
"I'll just have what he's having please." She smiled at Ichiraku.

"Coming right up!" Ichiraku declared.  
"So Sorami, I haven't seen you around here before, are you one of Naruto's ninja friends come to visit?" He asked as he prepared their order.

"Me? A ninja?" Sorami laughed. "No sir, I'm just a homely traveler myself."

"Not anymore! Sorami-chan's not just visiting old man! You better get used to her face! She's going to be staying here in the village, she's movin' in with me!"

"Is that so? You found yourself an older woman eh Naruto?" He said over his shoulder.

"OLD MAN! It's not even like that! I could practically be her son!" Naruto yelled in an affronted tone.

"Yikes. Just make me feel old Naruto." Sorami said as she hung her head down.

"N-n-no Sorami-chan! I didn't mean it like that! You would have had to have been like reeeeeally young when you had me! I just meant to show how you and me don't have that kind of relationship going on!"

"Idiot!" Sakura shouted as she swatted him over the head.

"Well you better watch out: I believe you of course, but a pretty young lady moving in with a single young man? People will get some funny ideas spreading around, you know how some love to gossip."

"I didn't even think of that, I don't want to cause any trouble." Sorami said worriedly.

"Eh! Let em talk! Who cares? They'll probably get over it when the next wannabe scandal comes their way."

"Order up! Enjoy!" Ichiraku exclaimed as he handed them their bowls.

"Wow! This looks great!" Sorami said eagerly as she broke her chopsticks.

"I'M SO EXCITED! This is such an occasion! Sorami-chan's first ramen at Ichiraku! I feel like a parent who's watching their child take their first steps!" Tears of joy were streaming down his face.

"Oh please." Sakura said, rolling her eyes at his dramatic antics she began to eat her food.

Naruto watched as Sorami lifted the steaming noodles to her mouth.

He grinned madly at her and she watched him out of the corner of her eye.

She then lowered the noodles and Naruto's smile faded in disappointment.  
Sorami blew on them to cool them.

She raised them to her lips again and Naruto was beaming again.

She lowered the noodles.

"SORAMI-CHAN!"  
She laughed.

"Okay! Okay! Your face was just too priceless! I love messing with you hon!"

She raised the noodles again and looked over at him.

Naruto gave her a "dare you to do it again" look.

She slurped up the noodles and chewed with her eyes closed.

She set her chopsticks down.

Ichiraku and Naruto looked at her concernedly. Even Sakura raised a brow as she ate.

"Soooo whatcha think Sorami-chan???"

"I didn't think it was possible...  
It's even better than you described!" She started digging in at an alarming speed.

"YES! The glory of ramen prevails!" Naruto exclaimed exuberantly before attacking his own meal.

"Oh for heavens sake." Sakura muttered.  
_"Great, Sorami is just going to encourage his extreme ramen fetish!"_

"More please!" Sorami and Naruto said at the same time as their chopsticks clinked in the empty bowls.

Naruto looked over to Sorami in shock: someone else had powered through their ramen bowl with as much fervor as he did, had a superior taste for ramen, AND wanted seconds.

"Sorami-chan… this might be one of the greatest moments of my life."

Sakura sweat dropped.  
Graduating the academy? Beating the prodigy Neji Hyuga? Mastering Rasengan?  
Nothing compares to finding a fellow ramen enthusiast.

Sakura shook her head in disbelief.  
"Alright you two, I think I've had all the crazy I can handle for one day. I'm going to head home and take my well deserved shower."  
She handed her money over to Ichiraku and thanked him.

"Aww Sakura-chan you're leaving already?" Naruto pouted.

"Yeah but I'll see you tomorrow for training! Mmkay?"

"Alright, fine, go on… Take your beloved showers… They're **obviously** more important than spending time with your dear, dear friends…" Naruto said in a forlorn tone and sighed.

"Riiiight, because I haven't been spending every hour of the day with you for over a week now." Sakura mocked.

He snickered, pulled her into a hug, and pecked her on the cheek.  
"Alright, see you tomorrow Sakura-chan."

"I'll see ya later Sorami" Sakura said casually as they hugged.

Sorami smiled hugely.  
"Yes, you will… I-I mean, I will see you later Sakura." Sorami said contentedly.  
This wasn't a goodbye: she was staying in this village and would get to see these people as often as she liked.  
Sakura understood what she meant and smiled back.

Sorami sat back down as Sakura waved goodbye to Ichiraku and set off.  
_"Konoha, The Village Hidden Among The Leaves. That is where I live." _Sorami reveled in it.

"So are you going to finish that or what?" Naruto interrupted her thoughts as he eyed the second bowl of ramen that had been set down for her.

Sorami's eyes shot towards him.

"Why? Isn't yours good enough? Never mind, lemme check for you." She swiped a few of his noodles.  
"Sheems fin ta me!" She teased with a mouthful.

"Hey! Alright then! Let's see how good yours is!" He made a jab at her bowl with his chopsticks but she blocked it with her own fiercely.

That's how they ended up having a chopstick duel to defend their dishes.

-------

Sorami only ended up finishing her second bowl while Naruto went on to a resounding seven.

Normally, someone would be watching with disgust or horror as Naruto plowed through his dishes, yet Sorami was propped up on one elbow staring at him curiously, almost in awe.

"Where does it all go?" She asked, mystified.

Naruto patted his stomach in a fulfilled fashion.  
"Ahhh old man, you've done it again. You have one satisfied customer on your hands."

"Make that two! Compliments to the chef!" Sorami added cheerfully, clapping.

"Glad you liked it folks, here's your bill. By the way Naruto, I stopped counting after your fourth bowl: that's for getting me a great new customer!" He winked at Sorami.

"Old man you are the best! Honestly, you are! Can you believe this guy?!"

"A talented cook and a gentleman: my, my, what a catch!" Sorami said sweetly.  
Ichiraku blushed at the compliment.

Sorami checked the bill, pulled out an old drawstring leather pouch and emptied the contents into her hands. A few coins landed in her palm. She blanched then froze.  
"Eeeuhh" was the odd noise that escaped her lips.

Ichiraku and Naruto glanced at her curiously.  
"Eh-heh-heh!" She laughed nervously while searching herself for stray money.

"Sorami-chan I can pay for it if you need me to. In fact I'd love to be the one to treat you to your first Ichiraku ramen!" Naruto said chivalrously.

Sorami was nervous and hurried as she spoke:  
"No! No! It's fine! You already have to pay enough for your own meal! I have some cash around here somewhere! I just don't usually have to have money, you know, except when I'm buying supplies, and then I just do odd jobs until I raise the cash, but then I used up most of my saved supply money paying for the storage of Lula and my cart (even though that was sorta cheaper than I expected) but I should still have some… I just can't seem to find my back up funds at the moment!"  
Naruto wondered how she could breathe during that panicky speech.

Ichiraku coughed awkwardly.  
"I can take off the second bowl free of charge, it's quite alright."

"Oh that's very kind but no thank you! I don't want that to be your first impression of me: some kind of moocher, please if you just give me a moment…AH-HA!" She had just taken off both her boots when a few crumpled bills floated onto the ground out of her right one.

"There you go! Sorry for making a scene there. I just knew I had it!"

"Not a problem! I think it's actually refreshing that you put so much effort into it!"

"Well thank you" She smiled and Ichiraku turned to put the money away.

Sorami smacked her head onto the countertop.

"Uhh Sorami-chan?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Uuuunnn. In villages you actually need money. I'm ganna have to find a job." She mumbled, her face pressed against the wooden surface.

"You say you're looking for a job huh?" Ichiraku piped in.  
Sorami peeled her face up to look at him and nodded.

"Well a friend of mine has a teashop a little ways into town: I think she's looking for a new girl to work there. I could put in a good word for you if you'd like, you could stop by tomorrow and set up an interview."

"Really?! You'd do that?!" Sorami shot up.

"Well sure! You seem like a nice girl and any friend of Naruto's is a friend of ours!"

"What I tell ya Sorami-chan? This old man: the best!" Naruto beamed.

"No arguments here! Thank you sooo much!" Sorami gushed.

"Not a problem, now you come back anytime!" Ichiraku said over his shoulder as he started on his next batch of noodles.

Naruto led Sorami out of the shop as she was gawking at the generous cook.

"Thank you again! And it was delicious! Seriously!" Sorami shouted as Naruto dragged her away. Ichiraku smiled but didn't turn around as he waved goodbye.

After they exited the stand Sorami was still in a daze Naruto slung his arm over her shoulders companionably.

"I can't believe he would just do that for me… so wait… is everyone in this town like a saint or something? Or no. I guess it's just everyone you know I bet." She said poking him in the ribs.

"Yeah pretty much! I am Saint Naruto of the Ramen. Sakura is Saint of the Injuries. (Because she both fixes them and creates them!) And you my dear Sorami-chan are Saint Sorami of the..."

"Apples!" Sorami exclaimed.

"Well not what I was going for, but it works I guess! Sorami, Saint of the Apples!" Naruto concluded.

"No! I just remembered how we are going to need to move some of my stuff out of my old cart and then I remembered all the apples we picked today. Then I thought about how we could sell them to make some money!"

"Why are you so worried about money Sorami-chan?"

"Well I wouldn't say I'm too worried, it's just when your out there on the road all you have to worry about is finding your next meal which is all set out for you by nature and most everything you need you could trade for and whatnot. When you live in cities and the like you have to stress about finding a job to pay for rent, buying food, supplies, bills and stuff like that." She groaned.

"Aww relax! If worse comes to worst I can just be your sugar-daddy and pay for everything for you!"  
She punched him in the arm playfully.

"No, I'm serious! In fact, I refuse to let you pay rent!"

"**What?!**"

"Yeah, it's no big deal like I said before: it's a tiny, cheap apartment. I've been paying for it by myself for years and plus I have more spending money since I was promoted to chunin recently, so forget about it!"

"But--!"

"Nope!"

"That's too mu-"

"Sorry? What was that? Can't hear you! Lalalalalala!" Naruto said plugging his ears, closing his eyes, and singing childishly.

Sorami tried to shout over him and waved frantically in his face for a few minutes before giving up and crossing her arms, fuming.

Naruto peeked over at her and saw that she had calmed down. He unplugged his ears and they walked in silence. He could tell she was a little miffed about her independence being undermined.

"Listen Sorami-chan, you don't need to feel like a burden or indebted to me by doing this. You get that job and you take that money but you do what **you** **want** with it. You've probably been working just to survive forever: I want you to be able to buy things just because you can, not because you have to. It's fun! Plus you can just go ahead and buy **me** gifts all the time if that's what you want."

Sorami had to crack a smile and her pouting disappeared.  
"I just don't want you to get tired of me and feel like I'm bumming off of you."

"Never Sorami-chan! You know I will always …'feel like my life is a little brighter having known you'" He mimicked her voice teasingly.

"You jerk! I meant that! That was totally heartfelt, and now you just make it sound corny!" She said embarrassedly.

"Oh Sorami-chan I'm serious too: "Yooooou liiiiight up my liiiiiife!" He sang off pitch as he grabbed her and started clumsily waltzing with her down the road.

(S/L:Whitney Houston- You Light Up My Life [Corniness/happiness/teasing])

"Naruto!" She giggled.  
He spun her around.

"That reminds me! I **have** bought something recently that was just because I wanted it! And you can be sure that I'm taking it with me!"

"Oh yeah? And what is that?" He asked, giving her an awkward dip, almost dropping her.

"My stereo!" She laughed.

"Perfect! I need more music in my life!" They straightened and walked down the street with a little swagger in their steps.

"I had to work soooo many odd jobs for that stereo, it's my baby! That reminds me!"

"So many reminders!" Naruto replied.

"We are still selling those apples and **you** are going to help me do it!"

They continued to the estate Sakura had shown Sorami and picked up the crate of apples and as many items as they could carry back into town.

--------------

It was already dark by the time they reached Naruto's apartment building.  
They were laughing and talking enthusiastically as they walked up to his door.

"I can't believe we actually sold them all!" Naruto chuckled.

"Seriously? I thought we made a wonderful sales team!"

"Oh yeah our brilliant crayon: "Saint Sorami's Apples" sign was a real winner! Or how bout "Ninja apples, get your ninja apples here! Only seventy five cents!" You even did the cheesy carnival stand voice! "Picked from a wild forest by the skillful hands of death defying ninjas!" Naruto laughed.

"Hey! I thought my "ninja apples" idea was great! It brought intrigue and interest to the product! Who gets ninja picked apples? Honestly! And not to mention I had a brilliant spokes model ninja handy: doing your little apple peeling tricks with the kunai!"

Naruto bowed jokingly.  
"Thank you, thank you. But what about you! I didn't know you could juggle!"

"I told you I did TONS of odd jobs to get money while I have traveled!"

"Ahh yeah that was a lot of fun. And people really did seem to respond! We must have been the most popular stand on the entire block!"

"Don't be so surprised! We knew how to work our product and we were really convincing! The proof is all here: we sold out and we made a bunch of money!"

Naruto had turned his key in his lock and pushed open the door.  
"True! Maybe we should go into the apple business as a permanent thing."

Sorami laughed but then trailed off as she entered his apartment: it was warm.  
She looked around the darkened room.

Naruto set all of her stuff down and turned on the light switch.

"Welcome home Sorami-chan."


	16. Can I Help You?

Sorami walked further into the room taking in every detail. She placed her hand on the table that was taking up most of the room and slid her fingers over the top.

Naruto rubbed that back of his head sheepishly.  
"I know it's really small and a little dirty and everything, but it's a pretty good place to live I think."

Sorami turned and smiled at him.  
"It's wonderful. Really. It's more than I could possibly ask for Naruto." She said quietly. She let her eyes roam over the room again, she saw a small darkened hallway to her left and began to walk towards it.

"WAIT!" Naruto shouted.  
Sorami froze, a little frightened that she had overstepped her boundaries.

"Don't go back there yet! Just sit down at the table for a sec." Sorami did as she was told and waited. Naruto rushed into the hall and turned on the lights in the rest of the rooms and dashed back and forth between them.

"I don't mean to leave you hangin' out there! It's just; I remembered that I still have a few things I should clean up before I let you see the whole place!" He shouted from the back rooms.

"I don't mind a little mess, it's alright!" Sorami shouted back to him.

"Nah it'll only take me a second! Just sit back and relax! I've been keeping my apartment a little cleaner lately because Sakura flipped out on me recently about how messy I am, so you won't have to worry about bugs and stuff but I still have a few scraps that need to be taken care of!"

"I could help if you want!" Sorami said leaning in her chair to look down the hall.  
She saw Naruto walking towards her.

"Nope! All done!" He dumped an armful of trash into a bin.

"So now we shall take the grand tour." He said in a dignified tone, linking arms with her.

"This, my lady, is the entry way" He pointed at the door.

"Here is the kitchen," he said waving at the fridge and a small stove on the counter.

"which also happens to be the dinning room." They promenaded around the table.

He led her to the archway.  
"This is the main hall; it is attached to all the wings of my estate."

Sorami giggled.

He opened a door to the left.  
"Here we have the bath house and the lavatory facilities, equipped with both cold AND hot water."

Sorami "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed at appropriate intervals.  
He took her back into the hall and to the last room.

"And last but not least we have the sleeping quarters."  
There was a small bed and a few dressers.

Sorami walked to the middle of the room and then turned to face Naruto.  
"Hopefully I won't get lost wandering your manor. Thank you for the tour, your residence is absolutely charming my good man."

"It's not much but it's home." Naruto smiled and returned to his normal voice.

"Home." Sorami repeated and yawned.

"We should probably get some sleep, I have training bright and early tomorrow!"

Sorami shifted uneasily.  
"So where do I put my stuff?"

"Anywhere you like!" Naruto said happily.

"Are you cool sharing your room with me?"

"Yeah of course!"

Sorami went back to the kitchen, gathered her stuff and brought it back to the room, Naruto was in the bathroom changing and brushing his teeth.

She changed into an overly large T-shirt and black yoga pants then arranged a few blankets and a cushion on the floor at the end of the bed.

Naruto walked back into the room.  
"You're sleeping on the floor?"

"Is that alright?" Sorami asked a little worriedly.

"Yeah, but I mean, you can have the bed if you want!"

"No, I refuse to put you out any more than I have, and besides I always sleep on the ground, it's nothing new, but this is even better than what I'm used to! It's all warm and cozy in here."

Naruto smiled and then climbed into bed.  
"I'm glad you feel that way… and I'm really glad you decided to stay Sorami-chan."

"Me too Naruto, me too… Sleep tight hon." She said as she settled herself down in her blankets.

"Goodnight Sorami-chan" Naruto wrapped the blankets around himself and felt a great feeling of comfort wash over him: tonight he wasn't alone when he came home; someone was there to tell him to sleep tight.

The two started to drift asleep.

"Hey Naruto." Sorami whispered.

"Hmm?" Naruto stirred.

"Thank you." She said from the darkness.

"Thank you too Sorami-chan." He mumbled sleepily.

----------

Naruto cracked his blurry eyes open.  
_"Training… gotta wake up… seven o'clock?... Kakashi's always late though…I can sleep in… but what if he's not… he'd show up on time just to spite me I bet… gotta get up."_

Naruto swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The lower half of his body was dangling off and the upper half was still laying on the bed. He slid down until his feet touched the floor then forced hismself into a standing position.

He wobbled a little and then groggily made his way to his dresser, but before he reached his target he tripped on something soft.

Naruto wove back and forth in the air trying to regain his balance and then planted his hands  
onto the wall so that he made an arch over what had caused him to trip.

Sorami was sprawled out over the ground still fast asleep with the blanket Naruto had stumbled over scrunched up near her leg.

Naruto smiled down at her as he remembered why she was there.

He pushed himself up and then tip-toed around her with the silence of a ninja to grab some pants.

He walked to his other dresser and pulled out a shirt and a jacket. When he reached the doorway of the room he turned around and looked back at the lump that was Sorami.

"See ya soon Sorami-chan" He whispered as he left.  
_"Today is going to be a good day."_ He thought happily.

-------

Hinata walked down the road. She was breathing in and out trying to calm herself. In her hands was a large black bento box.

_"Ohayo Naruto-kun, I heard you came back from your mission yesterday so I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop by to see how you were. Was your assignment successful? Oh by the way I made these dumplings for Shino-kun and Kiba-kun, there were a lot leftover and I wondered if you would like some."_

Hinata was practicing in her head what to say in front of Naruto when she went to visit him so she wouldn't stumble over her words as much. She didn't want to be the weird quiet girl to him any more, she wanted to be so much more.

Yes, today was the day.

Hinata had gathered all the courage and strength she could muster and was going to tell Naruto how she felt.

"_I will not faint! I will not back down! I will not be a coward any longer!  
And if he rejects me…  
No! I can handle it; I'll never know how he feels unless I try!"_

Naruto's building came into her line of sight. She had to stop and breathe; she was almost having a panic attack.  
She paused and recomposed herself and started to walk again.

-----

There was a knock at the door.

Sorami woke up, rolled over, and eyed the clock; it was eleven thirty.

_"Hmm,__ I should really be getting up anyway."  
_  
Sorami hopped out of her nest of blankets and started to walk to the door.

There was another set of light knocking.

"I'm coming." She mumbled.

Sorami reached the door handle and swung it open.

"Ohayo Naru-" Hinata stopped dead in the middle of her word.

This was not Naruto-kun.  
This was a woman.  
A pretty woman.  
In Naruto-kun's house.  
A pretty woman, **in her pajamas,** in Naruto-kun's house.

Hinata's eyes were set wide and her mouth was agape. She was frozen in shock. This woman was living with Naruto.

Maybe she had somehow gotten the wrong apartment.  
Hinata forced her eyes to drift up to the number above the door.  
No such luck: this was Naruto's door.

"Umm can I help you?"

Hinata broke out of here reverie and looked at the voice's owner. Sorami was smiling at her with a puzzled look on her face.  
If Hinata was any other girl she should have been mad, hated this woman, wanted to kill her, but she was Hinata.

_"She seems so nice… I…I really hope she makes Naruto happy."_  
She felt like crying: even though she had worked so hard to gather up her courage: she had waited too long, it was too late.

Hinata still hadn't responded and Sorami was lost as to why this girl would come knocking at the door and then not say anything.  
"Uhh are you looking for Naruto? He went out to train I think. He'll probably be back a little later, I can tell him you stopped by if you'd like." Sorami said kindly.

Hinata had to get a grip on herself; she lowered her head in shame and started to back away.  
"N-n-no t-that's alright I-I--"

Sorami gasped. It was an incredibly huge gasp: as if she was trying to suck all the air out of the immediate area. Her hands flew to her heart and she had a look of surprise plastered on her face.

Hinata jolted and looked up in concern for the woman.

"AAAAHHH!!! You must be Hinata-chan!!!" Sorami shrieked, opened her arms wide, and smiled hugely.

Hinata blinked. How did this strange woman know who she was?

"Come in, come in, come in!" Sorami grabbed the girl and tugged her into the apartment.

"I-I-I don't think--" Hinata began but Sorami was too busy giggling to even care. Hinata stopped her protest and gawked: she was in Naruto's house.

"Have a seat! We'll have some tea!" Sorami said, dumping the poor stunned girl into the chair at the table.

"I sh-should really be-" Hinata started, feeling awkward about spending time with her crush's lover, but Sorami was determined not to let her escape before she got a chance to investigate her.

"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at once! I mean you're exactly how Naruto described you! Well actually, you're even prettier than he described and that's saying something! The way he was telling it, it was like you were like some kind of an angel!" She said as she prepared the tea.

_"Naruto-kun? Talking about me? Describing me? As pretty???"  
_All thoughts of this woman as Naruto's lover vanished and Hinata fainted at the table. Her head hung to her chest and either Sorami didn't notice or she didn't care because she simply continued to chat away merrily to the unconscious girl.

Sorami dropped the cup in front of Hinata so that it made a large thudding noise. Hinata's head shot up.

"--so that's how I recognized you, because of your slight stuttering." Sorami finished.  
Hinata grabbed hold of her tea and took a calming sip.

"So what brings you to this little humble abode this fine morning?"

"Well I umm…" She eyed the box that was set on the table.

"Hmm?" Sorami drew her gaze to the box.  
"A gift? For Naruto?!" Her eyes were sparkling as she walked over and opened the box.

"Dumplings??? Did you make them yourself???" Sorami was absolutely bursting with joy and was hugging the lid to her chest.

Hinata nodded shyly.

"Oh. My. God. That is just the sweetest thing I have ever heard! You are just the sweetest thing!" Sorami was practically jumping around squealing.  
"He said you were sweet, but this is just too adorable." She said, closing the lid gently.

"N-n-n-naruto-kun said that? A-about me? He w-was talking about m-me?" Hinata forced out.

Sorami sat on the counter, rested her chin in her hands, and smiled warmly at her.  
"Oh yes, he speaks very highly of you. But what about you?"

"E-excuse me?"

"What do you think of Naruto?" She asked curiously.

Hinata fidgeted nervously.  
"W-w-well I think that N-n-naruto-kun is… he is… incredible. He is the most remarkable person I have ever met. He is kind, strong and confident. He's proud of who he is and never lets anyone put him down."

Hinata felt she was able to speak freely to this woman who was being so open with her and did not stutter at this point because with Hinata: there is no room for doubt when speaking of Naruto. Everything she says about him she can say with complete confidence because it is undeniable to her. Sorami sighed dreamily at the girls romantic sentiments.

"--He is loyal, honest, caring… and he is perfect in all his imperfection. Naruto-kun--"

The door flung open and Naruto bounded in.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelped, turning a bright shade of scarlet.

"H-hinata-chan!" Naruto's voice cracked in surprise and he started to lightly blush as well: he had not forgotten what he and Sorami had talked about on the road.

"Sorami-chan!" Naruto gave her a panicked and questioning look.  
_"Damn she works fast! How did she get Hinata-chan here? How did she even __**find**__ Hinata-chan?!"  
_  
Sorami was standing behind Hinata's frozen form, giving Naruto two thumbs up and grinning like a maniac.

Naruto sweat dropped.  
"H-hinata-chan what are you doing here?" Naruto asked in a deeper voice, trying to gain back some of his "cool."_  
_  
"I-I-I, Naruto-kun, I wanted to give you some dumplings, I-I mean I was in the neighborhood a-a-and uh Shiba-kun and Kino-kun I-I mean! Kiba-kun and Shino-kun! They didn't eat them! I…"

Hinata failed.

Sorami could see the girl struggling and jumped in to save her: she grabbed the box and handed it to him.  
"Look Naruto, Hinata came by to give you some of her homemade dumplings! Isn't that thoughtful of her?" She bumped him with her hip so he would move towards the table.

"Really? For me?" He asked as he stumbled forward.

_"Oh god now he thinks I'm a stalker!" _Hinata thought, panicked; her face was almost glowing from being so red.

"Gee thanks Hinata-chan!" He took a bite of one of the dumplings.  
"Thesr rly tasty!" He said with a mouthful.  
"You said you made these yourself? You're a great chef Hinata-chan! Where'd you learn to cook like that? I can barely make my instant ramen!"

"I-I don't know, I just... taught m-myself I guess." She said timidly smiling.

"For real?! That's amazing man! I wish I could learn to cook like this." Naruto said casually.

"Really now Naruto! If you want Hinata to give you some private cooking lessons **you should just ask!**" Sorami said suggestively, trying to hint to him that now was a perfect time to ask her out.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, obviously not catching the hint.

"W-would you r-really like me t-to teach you Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, looking away, still blushing like crazy for being so bold.

"Well yeah, sure, I guess." Naruto said, blushing a little as well.

"Fantastic! The sooner the better! You should do it today! Although Naruto doesn't have much to work with in terms of cooking supplies: can he come to your house?" Sorami filled in for him, growing tired of beating around the bush.

Hinata nodded absently, in a daze about what was happening.

"Perfect! He'll be there, let's say, one o'clock? Okay! Great!" Sorami concluded for everyone as she clapped her hands together.

The sound of the clap snapped Hinata out of her stupor and she finally registered what had been said: she could already feel herself becoming light headed.

"I-I'll see you then N-naruto-kun" Hinata bowed and fled to the door before she could pass out in front of him. Sorami followed her out.

"It was nice meeting you Hinata-chan!" She leaned out the door and waved to the girl as she zoomed down the hall.

Hinata turned around and bowed quickly.  
"It was a pleasure to meet you as well Sorami-san!" She squeaked.

"It's just Sorami!" She called as she watched the girl disappear around the corner.

Once Hinata turned the corner she leaned against the wall in astonishment.

Sure, she didn't exactly get to profess her feelings and she still didn't know who in the world Sorami was, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that she had gotten a date with her love… well, technically, a cooking lesson: but it was going to be intimate time spent with him, and in her home no less!

Hinata stood there with a blush on her face and slid to the ground in a happy collapse.

-----------

Sorami chuckled as she closed the door.  
She turned around to find Naruto staring at her irritably.

"What did you do?!" He bellowed.

"Whaddaya mean 'what did **I** do?!' **I** didn't do anything, except get **you** a date with a nice girl!" She said smugly.

"Oh jeez! Did you see her run out of here?! It was like she was escaping death! She probably only agreed because you were pestering her! Oh man, she must think I'm pathetic!"

"Are you Serious?! She's totally head over heels for you kiddo! You both just needed a little push in the right direction!"

"Oh yeah, and how would you know!?"

"Before you came in she was telling me all about how great she thinks you are, and she was blushing and nervous around you, AND she even brought you a gift!" Sorami counted on her fingers.

"She was just being nice! That's how she is! I told you she has really fair skin; she turns red all the time! And she was probably blushing a lot because you are soooo embarrassing!" Naruto dropped his head onto his arms and groaned.

"Psssh! I am **not** embarrassing! I just know how to get things moving! Just you wait: come one o'clock today, you'll be thanking me sweetheart." She said confidently. She tousled his hair affectionately and opened the fridge.

"You got any juice in here?"

Naruto's face was still down.  
"I don't think so… just don't drink the milk." He warned.

"You are in desperate need of some serious grocery shopping my love." She said as she pulled out an old takeout carton, peeked inside, then immediately tossed it into the trash.

"Like I said, I can't really cook, so I don't really find the need to."

"Excuses, excuses. Well if no juice, then do you want some tea? I made some for me and Hinata before she flew the coop."

"Yeah, whatever." He said glumly, remembering Hinata's mad dash for the exit.

"Awww turn that frown upside down! Wittle Hina-chan will wuv yooooou!" She pulled the sides of his mouth into a forced smile. He smacked her hands away lightly but smiled and rolled his eyes.

Sorami handed him a cup of the steaming liquid.  
"Oh! I almost forgot: I have to get ready for that interview at the teashop today! I'll probably leave around the same time you go get it on with Hinata-chan in the kitchen!"

"SORAMI-CHAN!" Naruto turned crimson at the innuendo of the sentence.

"Be sure to wear protection!" She said mischievously as she went into the back room and grabbed some clothes.

"OH MY LORD! MAKE IT STOP!" Naruto shouted in desperation. This was a very awkward topic to be talking with Sorami-chan about, especially if it was concerning Hinata-chan.

"I was talking about oven mitts sweetie!" Sorami laughed before closing the bathroom door to take her shower.

------

Sorami stared down at the crumpled slip of paper in her hand. It was the paper Ichiraku had handed her today that had the scribbled address of the tearoom where she was expected some time this afternoon.

She glanced up from the paper and at the building in front of her; it was a small café with a few tables on the outside with a large light green awning over the top. It was decorated in a bohemian motif: not boring, colorful and ornate, but not too gaudy either.

Sorami liked the looks of it. She crossed the busy street and walked into the small establishment. She looked around the room: there were a few tables littered about the inside, a small sitting area with couches and chairs, and then a counter near the back.

"Hi, can I help you with something?" Sorami turned to see a smiling woman with wavy brown hair pulled up into a bandana.

"Oh um hi, my name is Sorami, I was told the owner was looking for someone to work here, and, well, here I am!"

"So you're the girl Teuchi was going on about, come on back, I'll take you to see the owner, Mrs. Kato."

The two walked around a counter and into the back rooms. The brunette knocked on an office door.

"Hey Ma! Teuchi's girl is here!" The girl hollered.

"Well send her in!" A grumpy voice sounded from behind the door.

The woman opened the door and motioned for Sorami to enter then walked away.  
Sorami stepped into the small room.

A short woman with graying hair and a scowl was seated at a desk.

"You're late!" She barked at Sorami.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know we had a set time. Ichiraku-san told me to come at some point this afternoon, but I must have misheard him."

"There was no set time! But you should have come earlier! That shows initiative, it's already one thirty, afternoon started at twelve!"

"Well, then, I apologize for not arriving earlier."  
_"Is she serious?! What does this woman want from me!?"_

"Feh! So why do you want to work here anyway?" She said gruffly.

"Well I just moved here and I need to find some work, I met Ichiraku-san and he referred me to you. It's a really lovely place and the atmosphere seems enjoyable, I think I could make a great addition to your staff." Sorami replied respectfully.

"Just moved here eh? This is a community business! A stranger in their midst could scare off my regulars!" The old woman accused.

Sorami's eyebrow twitched.  
_"Does she even want anyone to work here?!"_  
"Perhaps, or maybe a fresh new face could add some mystery and curiosity to your business and draw in some new customers! I'm pretty friendly and I'm sure it would be easy for your regulars to get to know me in no time." Sorami shot back with a little edge in her voice.

Mrs. Kato eyed her critically.  
"You think on your feet. I like that. You're hired. Wear this." The woman suddenly pulled out an apron from under her desk and tossed it into Sorami's face.  
"You start now. Table five has probably finished their meal, go pick up the plates."

Sorami took the apron off her head and tied it around her waist.  
"Umm, yes ma'am! Thank you so much for the opportunity." She bowed and started towards the door.

"Hold on a second!" Mrs. Kato yelled crossly.  
Sorami turned and faced her; a little worried she would change her mind.  
"Let's get some things straight. I'm a clear-cut kinda gal. I like things frank and upfront: I don't waste time with fake sweetness when dealing with my workers. If you got something to say, say it. That's my motto. So I'm ganna to be me and you be you, got it?"

"Uh sure?"

"Good. Table five: hurry up."

"Right."

Sorami rushed out of the room and saw the waitress from before carrying a tray of plates into the kitchen area. The brunette noticed Sorami's apron.

"Hey, you got the job! Wow, congrats. Ma's really picky when it comes to her workers. Heck, I'm the only other waitress here and that's only because I'm her daughter. I'm Mina by the way." She readjusted the tray to one arm and stuck out her hand, Sorami shook it.

"Sorami. She's your mom? She seems really… firm." Sorami replied.

The woman laughed.  
"Yeah she does come on a little strong doesn't she? It's what scares most of the others off from even applying for a job, but don't worry, her bark is worse than her bite. She's really a softy underneath it all… deep down there somewhere. She seems to have taken a shine to you though; I mean she hired you and everything! So anyway, welcome to the team!"

"Thanks, glad to be here. Sooo… which one is table five?"


	17. Never Knew

**A/N:**  
Hello reader! Sorry I didn't update as regularly as I usually do, you know with Christmas and stuff it's been kinda nuts! Happy holidays btw! (2009 say wha?!) I'm also late because this chapter has been a bit of a doozy to write: it is way longer than my usual ones and it is  
**all** NaruHina **all** the time.  
You've been warned.

On Dasher, on Blitzen, on Cupid, and on to the NaruHina!

* * *

Naruto approached the gates of the Hyuga compound.

_"Okay! One o'clock on the dot like Sorami-chan said, here to get it on with Hinata-chan!  
I mean! No! Wait! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!  
Damn pervy sage. Damn Sorami-chan.  
Wow this place is big. How many people live here? I heard that clan compounds can sometimes be like villages within themselves.  
So what… do I knock on the gate? Who will answer?  
Do they have a butler? Rich people usually have butlers.  
Yikes what if her father answers! "Oh why hello there Hyuga-san, I'm here for a date with your daughter!"  
Ka-thunk!  
There goes my head.  
I should have brought flowers. That's what people usually bring to dates right?  
Wait, does Hinata-chan even think of this as a date?! I mean all we really said was 'cooking lesson.'  
She probably just pities me and is trying to help out a friend. It's not a date.  
It's actually a good thing I didn't buy flowers then, she would probably freak out."_Naruto knocked on the gate.  
_  
"So this is just two friends hanging out, cooking, and getting to know each other: no big deal!  
No reason to be nervous!  
Gah!! Why am I so nervous?!  
It's not like this is my first date or anything!  
I dated Sakura-chan!  
But that was so different! Sakura-chan is… Sakura-chan! This is __**Hinata-chan**__!_  
_Whatever! It's not a date anyway numbskull! So just be cool. Don't look like a total idiot!"  
_  
A woman he didn't recognize had been standing there after he had knocked and was now watching the boy have inner turmoil.

Naruto looked up.  
_"Well, so much for not looking like an idiot."_

"Uh, hey!" Naruto straightened.

"Did you need something young man?" She asked in a civil tone.

"Umm yeah I, uh, I'm here to see Hinata-cha… er… Hinata-san?" Naruto decided it would be best to try to act more proper with these upper-class types.

"I will inform Hinata-sama of your presence." The woman nodded and retreated behind the gate.

_"Doh! Sama! I should have said sama! Stupid!"_ Naruto smacked his hand to his forehead.

--------------

A woman walked into the kitchen and bowed.  
"Hinata-sama, there is a young gentleman at the west gate; he has requested to see you. Shall I tell him to return at a more convenient time?"

"No! I-I mean i-it's alright Ame, I'll go meet him." She gracefully jumped down off of a stool after retrieving a spice from the cupboard.

"Are you certain my lady? I could simply relay your message, if that is your desire."

Hinata smiled at her.  
"N-no really, you don't have to worry about it." Hinata gave her a slight bow and then rushed past her and into hall.

_"I can't believe he's really here! Naruto-kun, here, at my home! For a date! With me!  
_Hinata felt woozy, she was about to pass out. _  
"No. Stop. You are overreacting. This is not a date, it's a cooking lesson. He only came because he needed your help with cooking. You will not blow this out of proportion and faint!"_

------

Naruto was waiting at the gate and Hinata was walking towards it: at this moment they were having the exact same thoughts.

_"This is not a date, this is not a date, this is not a date."_

Hinata slid the gate open.  
Naruto spun around.  
Two sets of breaths caught and two heartbeats sped up.  
They stood for a moment.

"G-g-good afternoon N-n-naruto-kun." Hinata stammered.

"Hey there Hinata-chan!" Naruto said awkwardly.

"P-please, c-come in" She side-stepped and bowed politely to allow him room to enter.  
Naruto walked into the opening and gawked.  
There was a large garden entry way leading up to a series of expansive houses.  
"Whoa." Was all Naruto could utter.

Hinata didn't know what to say to him: they came from such different backgrounds that she thought he must have felt distant from her. She lowered her head and began to walk.  
Naruto followed behind her on the dirt path and was so busy still looking around at all the massive houses in awe that he didn't even notice when they approached a building.

Hinata walked up the step and slid open the door. Naruto's mouth hung open.

"T-**this** is your **house**?!" It had to be the largest one of all.

Hinata nodded soberly and entered, she slipped off her shoes and Naruto followed suite.  
They began going down an open wooden walkway.

"So this is your place, huh?"  
Naruto whistled as he looked around.  
"Whoa! You even have a courtyard in the middle of your house?!" There was a spacious dirt area to their right with a tree in the corner.

"Yes, my father Hiashi generally uses if for training with Neji and my sister Hanabi."

"Eh? Neji? Where does your father train you? Somewhere special?"

"No… he hasn't trained with me very much since I was young. He is more interested in the talents of Neji and the potential in Hanabi, so he trains them more."

"What?! That doesn't make any sense! I bet you could kick Neji's icy ass six ways from Sunday dattebayo!" Naruto proclaimed.

Hinata smiled at him and blushed.  
"I-I don't know if that's true but, thank you Naruto-kun. This way."  
She turned down another hall.  
"Man this place is **huge**! I bet you love living here, huh Hinata-chan?"

"… Having a big house is not all that great Naruto-kun… it's easy to lose yourself in here and sometimes it's so big that it just feels empty…" Hinata said, trailing off.

Naruto had the feeling they weren't just talking about houses anymore.

"Small homes can seem pretty empty too sometimes." Naruto said tentatively.  
The kunoichi started at his perceptive input and then smiled softly at him.

They stopped at another door.  
"Here we are!" She walked in.

It was a massive kitchen with counters all along the sides, every appliance known to man, a freezer, an enormous double door refrigerator, a pantry, and an island in the middle.  
"This is your kitchen?! It's bigger than my whole house! This is awesome!" He skipped into the room.

Hinata giggled at his excitement.  
"This is the kitchen used when our house holds banquets and dinner meetings; we have to feed a large number of people so there needs to be a lot of space. But other than that it doesn't get put to use very often so I don't think anyone will bother us during our cooking lesson."

"Man, if I lived here I would be in this kitchen all the time chowin' down!"  
Hinata giggled again  
"I spend a lot of time here when I want to be alone, it's sort of comforting: I used to watch my mother cook here when I was very young."

"Used to?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"She died while giving birth to Hanabi." Hinata said quietly.

"I-I'm so sorry."

"It's alright Naruto-kun, I don't dwell on her death; I like remembering her as she was when she was alive, always kind and smiling: so thinking of her doesn't make me all that sad.  
I wish I could say that for others…  
My father never talks about her, after her death it was like the world held nothing for him; he had no purpose so he decided to devote everything in his life to the advancement of the Hyuga name: to push his children to honor that title and his wife's memory.  
I think he sees her when he looks at me and it hurts so he distances himself even more.  
I can't be mad at him for acting the way he does; he's had so much pain in his life." Hinata sighed.

"Just because he's had pain doesn't give him the right to treat you badly." Naruto said sadly, he thought of Sasuke for the briefest moment.

"No. It doesn't. But you still can't hate him for it either. The best you can do is try to be understanding." Hinata finished.  
"But you should try to help him understand as well." Naruto mused.  
"In time." Hinata smiled.  
Naruto pondered.

"Anyway, w-what would you like to make Naruto-kun?"  
"Huh? Oh well I don't know, uhh, what's the easiest?" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous manner.  
"Well we could… um… make some onigiri, or some mori soba, maybe those dumplings I gave you, or even some cookies."  
"Sounds great!"  
"Umm which do you mean Naruto-kun?"  
"Any of them! All of them! Let's go!"

He ran up to the fridge, opened it, and stood there staring.  
Hinata came up behind him and giggled, seeing he had no idea what he was looking for.

"Maybe we should start with the dumplings."  
She maneuvered around him and grabbed some ingredients, then smiled back at him and blushed due to their proximity.

----------

Hinata explained what she was doing as she added ingredients to a bowl to make dough.  
Naruto watched her, trying to stay focused, but as she spoke his thoughts began to wander.  
"_She smells pretty, sort of like lilac, I wonder if she uses perfume. Maybe it's her soap or maybe she just naturally smells like that; she does have this whole purple thing going on for her_. _Purple looks nice on her, I… would look really weird in purple…"  
_  
"--Now you try." Hinata handed him a bowl and a new batch of ingredients.  
He stared at the items in alarm.

"Already?! Right! Okay!"  
_"Oh dang now she'll think I wasn't listening to her!"_  
He started throwing things into the bowl at random in an effort to look like he knew what he was doing; a cloud of ingredients was surrounding them.

Hinata started to cough.  
"Umm… Naruto-kun… I…" She was attempting to stop his storm of mixings.

He froze and looked up at her.  
"_Oh no she's caught me!_"

"…think that's enough salt." She gently took the salt container from his frozen hand. There was a nice little mountain forming in his bowl.

"Oh sorry. I guess I got a bit distracted."

"That's alright we can still use it." She smiled at him warmly.

He smiled back and they both mixed their bowls.

"Ok now we need to flatten the dough so we can cover the meat in it."  
He followed her instructions and copied her movements.

"So Hinata-chan I haven't really seen you much since I came back from my training with pervy sage, ya miss me?" Naruto winked at her playfully.

Her face turned into a tomato.  
"I-I-I… well… umm… o-of course, t-the village just wasn't the same without you Naruto-kun." She stammered bashfully.

He was surprised by her answer.  
"Haha no kidding! Probably a lot more peaceful and quiet I bet!"

Hinata giggled.  
"A lot less fun really…" Hinata said honestly.  
Naruto blushed at the compliment and she blushed at herself for being so bold.

Hinata placed the dumplings in a pan and set the timer.  
"Let's boil the soba and start the rice next.  
S-so h-how **was** your training with master Jiraiya?" She asked as she heated two pots of water.

"Eh! It was alright. I mean he taught me loads of techniques and everything, so that was cool, but he was always "researching" for those stupid books of his so I had to do most of the actual work by myself. I really missed home and everyone here, two years is too long." He said as he put the noodles into a pot.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Hinata replied, thinking of the time Naruto had been away while she poured rice into the pot next to him.

"Yeah I guess that's true isn't it?" He said, giving her an appreciative smile.  
Hinata could've just died happy right then and there, having him look at her like that.

----------

When the rice and the soba were done Hinata told Naruto to put the noodles in the fridge while she set the rice on a plate to cool.

"There's so much food in this fridge! What do you do with all of it!? There's nothing in my fridge but old takeout, leftovers, and bad milk. Sorami-chan told me I need to go grocery shopping, maybe I will now that you've taught me how to cook some stuff!"

"Sorami… she s-seems really nice are you two… um… close?" Hinata asked, trying to gain some clue about who the mystery woman was but still trying to remain nonchalant.

"Yeah! She's awesome! We only met a little while ago but we just hit it off!"

Hinata turned away to hide her disappointment and reached for a jar of umeboshi.  
She then started to roll a piece in the rice.  
"Oh I see, so you are t-together then." She said in a low tone.

"Together? Like in my house? … Ooh you mean! No! We're not **together,** not like that. Why does everybody assume that?"

Hinata felt a great relief hit her, but was still a little confused.  
" I-I mean you live together don't you? Here, you roll the umeboshi in the rice, like this."

"Well yeah, but we don't have that kind of relationship!" He said as he stepped up and mimicked her actions.  
"W-what kind of relationship do you have?"  
"We're friends!"  
"A friend you just let move in with you so suddenly? "  
Hinata was secretly dying to be in her place: she was his friend too right?

"Well Sorami-chan didn't have anywhere to live; she's just been traveling around forever so I wanted to give her a home.  
And… even though she seems all happy and cheerful all the time, I can tell she's hiding how she really feels… I know she's been alone for a real long while now and her family abandoned her when she was young… I understand how it feels to feel unwanted.  
We're a lot alike… we understand each other.  
I guess we are more than just friends… when I'm around her I feel a sort of comfort and she is always encouraging me and caring for me…  
in a way she…  
if I could imagine what my…"  
Naruto was at a loss for words when describing what Sorami was to him and sighed in defeat.  
"I guess you could say Sorami-chan just reminds me of something I wish I could have had...  
But anyway! Yeah we're close, but not like **that**_. _Yeesh! That would just be weird!" He ended in a bright tone as he finished rolling his last piece.

_"I know Sorami isn't the only one who hides behind cheerfulness."_ Hinata thought sadly as she looked over the work that had been done. Naruto's rice balls were a rather lumpy and loose but he made them in the right shape at least… sort of. She reached into the cupboard for some nori.

"Hmm? What's that?" Naruto pointed at the package in her hand.

Hinata giggled.  
"What does it look like Naruto-kun?" She handed him the item.

"It looks like the seaweed we're supposed to put on the rice but it's all dried, stiff, and crackly!" He said as bent the package and some of the contents started to tear.

"Wait! Let me show you." She lifted the pack out of his hand and took a sheet out.  
"To make it malleable all you have to do is add a little water onto it, see?" She dampened the nori and it became slick, she then cut off a square and folded it onto her rice ball.

"Cool I get it!" He took out a sheet and drenched it under the tap, splashing water everywhere.  
He then walked over to apply it to his own piece, but as he tried to set it down he found it was stuck to his fingers. The whiskered boy shook his hand to rid himself of the sticky substance but it wouldn't budge so he began waving his hand wildly.  
Finally the nori flew off his fingers and the gooey, slimy glob of seaweed attached itself to his face.

"GAH! ARG! ACK!"

He clawed it off frantically while blindly running back and forth.

As he was dashing back and forth in a panic he slipped in the water he had spilled and reached for the closest thing he could find to hold himself up.  
That thing just happened to be an unsuspecting Hinata and he brought her down with him.

She was doing her best to stifle the fit of giggles that was building behind her hands but was failing miserably.  
Naruto paused in his panicked disposal of the nori and looked at her.  
_"By now, anyone else would have hit me over the head and called me an idiot but she's just laughing! Wow I really like her laugh…"_

Hinata pulled herself together when he noticed him staring at her.  
"I-I'm sorry Naruto-kun I didn't m-mean t-to laugh."  
She absently picked the last of the nori off of his cheek, gently grazing her fingers across his skin.

Both teens froze, Hinata turned ruby while Naruto turned a nice shade of hot pink. They both turned away quickly and Hinata pressed her pointer fingers together while Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

Naruto stood up swiftly and held out his hand to her.  
"Sorry I knocked you down like that Hinata-chan!_"_  
Hinata stared at the offered hand, her face still a deep shade of rose, and then dazedly placed her hand in his.

He pulled her straight up and they stood there: front against front, faces only inches apart, and Naruto still holding Hinata's hand in his.

Even though she was proud of how much better she was getting at being around Naruto, there was only so much the girl could handle in the span of two minutes: Hinata shut down.

She fell limp onto his chest.  
"Hinata-chan?!" Naruto yelped. He pulled her away to look at her and found her eyes closed.  
"Holy shit! She must have fallen harder than I thought! Hinata-chan!!!" Naruto shook the girl.  
She slowly came to.  
"ARE YOU OKAY?!"  
"N-naruto-kun?"  
"How many fingers am I holding up?!" He shouted and put his hand in her face.  
She blinked at them.  
"Oh god! No answer! We have to get you to a hospital!"  
"N-no! I'm fine! R-really!" She stood up.  
"Are you sure?? You scared me!"  
She turned back to the unfinished onigiri and hurriedly kept working.  
"Mmhmm! I'm okay!" She squeaked, embarrassed about her fainting spell.  
"Umm okay then I guess..." He returned to his own pieces yet still eyed her warily.

A timer chimed.  
"The dumplings are done!" She rushed over, turned off the heat, and set the dumplings on a plate to cool.

"Mmm, they smell great!" Naruto said leaning over her shoulder to get a better view of the dish. He was standing so close she could practically feel the hum inside his chest as he spoke.  
Hinata was frozen.

"So we're done with that what's next? Let's see… the dumplings, the onigiri, and the soba noodles… ahh cookies!" His trademark grin spread over his face.

Hinata snapped out of it.  
"D-do you like chocolate chip?"

"Do I! Those are my favorite!"

"Mine too."  
She smiled and started to gather the ingredients.

----------

"_Butter, eggs, chocolate chips, vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, sugar, brown sugar, flour… oh dear."  
_Hinata sweatdropped and stared into an empty canister.

"N-naruto-kun did you use **all** of the flour in your dumplings??"

"Umm maaaybeee? Does this mean no cookies!?" Naruto asked anxiously and then pouted.

Hinata laughed at the extreme disappointment in his face.  
"No, I think there is a new bag of flour in the pantry, would you mind getting it out for me?"

"No problem, anything for you Hinata-sensei-chan!" He waggled his eyebrows at her and then rushed to fetch the item.  
He came back with a large paper bag of all purpose flour in tow.

Hinata reached for the sack after preheating the oven.

"That's alright Hinata-chan I'll open it for you!"  
He grabbed the sides of the bag and pulled.  
It didn't open.  
"Eh-heh-heh!" Naruto laughed nervously and pulled harder.  
"_Dang this sucker is sealed tight! Come on! I'm a frickin' ninja! I don't want to look like a wimp in front of Hinata-chan!"  
_"Just open you stupid bag!"  
With that he gave a forceful tug and it burst open.  
He had torn the bag in two and there was a large white cloud of flour now settling over Hinata.  
He had dumped almost the entire bag onto her.

"Oh jeez Hinata-chan! I'm so sorry! Really I am!"  
_"She's must think I'm a complete moron!! I just ruined her clothes! Her hair! Oh man! She's got to be pissed!_"

Hinata opened her eyes and blinked, powder dusted off her eyelids.  
She puffed out a breath and flour came out.  
She looked down at her powder covered self.  
She scooped some off her shoulder, looked at it, then fisted her hand and lifted it level to Naruto's face.

_"Oh man here it comes!"  
_Naruto cringed in anticipation: if Sakura was anything to go by, Hinata was sure to slug him one any second now.

Hinata flicked the flour and it splattered across his face.

He jolted at the sensation and stared at her as she started to laugh.  
She laughed even harder at the shocked expression on his face; it was like he had just been slapped.

He was stunned: What had just happened? Where was the thumping? The name calling?

"Y-your not mad???"  
Hinata giggled shaking her head to say no and consequently covering Naruto in flour as it shook out of her hair.  
Naruto appreciated her playful attitude about the situation and relaxed as well.  
"Well good, cuz white is a nice color on you anyway." He teased with a huge grin on his face.  
"Really? Thank you Naruto-kun," she said timidly as she stirred her hand in a pile of flour, she siphoned some into her palm, blew it at him, and laughed:  
"you look nice in it too!"

Naruto got a mischievous gleam in his eye and threw a handful back at her.  
Hinata gasped in surprise but, being the ninja she was, would not back down from such a blatant challenge.  
They ended up having a small flour fight right then and there.

They were both laughing and tossing flour at each other when Naruto finally gave in:  
"Wait, wait, wait! Truce! Truce!" Naruto laughed as he shielded himself behind a baking sheet.  
"I seriously want some cookies and we need to save some of this flour for them."  
Hinata stopped and laughed.  
"Agreed."  
He held out his hand and she shook it. With his other hand he flung a last bit of the powder at her face, seeing that she couldn't dodge it since he had her hand in his grasp.

Hinata gasped and was about to search for more flour before he interrupted her:  
"Okay, okay! That was my last one I promise! Truce for real this time!" He grinned wickedly at her as he held his arms up in surrender.  
She smiled back at him, shook her head, and went to get a bowl to mix the ingredients in.

-------------

Together they added the ingredients according to the recipe into the bowl (though were extremely cautious when the flour portion came around) and stirred.

Hinata was mixing the dough as Naruto added the chocolate chips.

"We make a pretty good team huh? Ya know; when we're not in flour mortal combat." Naruto joked as he watched the chocolate chips disappear into the batter.

"I-I suppose so." Hinata replied contentedly a small blush adorning her cheeks.

"Is it ready?" he asked with anticipation.

Hinata scooped some onto her finger and licked it clean.  
"I think so, it tastes right. Now we should--"  
She was telling him how many minutes to set the timer for but he wasn't really listening.  
Instead, Naruto had a blush on his face and was looking at the finger Hinata had just used to taste test and replayed the image in his mind.  
_"Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!"  
_  
Hinata placed the confections in the oven and closed the door.  
"Now we can eat the food we made earlier while we wait!" She said happily as she turned around.

"Sweet! I'm starving!"

Hinata went to the fridge and retrieved a the chilled soba noodles and a few dipping sauces and set them on the island in the middle of the room, Naruto went over and grabbed the plate of dumplings, and lastly they both brought over the onigiri.

They sat on the large counter and began to eat.  
"This is pretty neat, I get to try my very own dumpling!" He said smugly as he picked up one of his own with his chopsticks.  
Hinata giggled as he took a bite.  
His eyes widened and he stopped chewing.

"How is it?" Hinata asked curiously.

Naruto started looking around hysterically and his hands started searching for something.  
"Oh ma gah! Dis ish terreble!" He mumbled with a full mouth as he finally found the napkin he was desperately searching for.

"Oh Naruto-kun I'm sure it's not bad." She said reassuringly as she reached for one of his.

"Ah so gross!! Don't--!" He said, still spitting out into the cloth, but he was too late: Hinata had already popped it into her mouth.

Her eyes turned to dinner plates and began to water.  
She covered her mouth with her right hand and reached her left one out towards him silently begging for a napkin.

"Oh ma gah!" she said muffled.

Naruto handed her one.  
"I tried to warn you!" He laughed as he watched her try to discretely scrape her tongue.

She felt bad for insulting his cooking.  
"N-naruto-kun they weren't umm that terrible."

"Oh yeah? You want another one?" He teased as he held the plate out to her.

"Umm well… I mean…"

Naruto laughed harder and walked to the trash to dispose of them.

"It's alright Hinata-chan, I know I suck."

"N-no! You just messed up on the dough is all." She said consolingly.

He smiled at her and then picked up one of his pathetic looking, crumbling onigiri.

"Okay, what's your excuse for this failure of mine?" He asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well this is your first time; you just need practice, that's all. Looks aren't everything; I'm positive that it will taste just fine." She then picked up one of his pieces and took a bite out of it.  
"Perfect." She beamed at him.

"Perfect." He repeated softly as he watched her.  
Hinata's face was just starting to rise in hue when a buzzer went off.

"T-the first batch of cookies is ready! I-I'll go get those out while you set up the next batch o-okay?"

"Roger!" Naruto saluted.  
They did their appointed tasks and resumed their meal.

"Well the soba noodles turned out fine! I'm a pro at heating up noodles I guess." The blonde said as he dipped them into the sauce.

"S-see? Cooking isn't so hard; it's just like learning a new jutsu, you just have to keep practicing until you get it right." She said cheerfully.

"It doesn't hurt to have a master to help you learn though." He gave her a small bow and picked up a piece of onigiri.  
"Hmm? Hey Hinata-chan, does this onigiri smell burnt to you?" He handed it to her

"It shouldn't, the rice seemed fine when I cooked it and all the others tasted normal."  
She lifted it up to inspect it, Naruto looked behind her to see smoke rising from the direction of the oven.

"AHH!!! I FORGOT TO SET THE TIMER!!!"

He leapt up, ran over, and opened the oven to see the cookies on fire. He immediately went to pull them out.

"AHHH! OW OW OW!!! HOT! HOT!"

"Naruto-kun!"

In his panic he had forgotten to put on oven mitts.

--------

Naruto ran over to the sink, dumped the sheet of burning cookies in, and poured water over them.  
He then silently slumped and slid down to sit on the floor, letting his burnt hands dangle out in front of him.  
Hinata came and kneeled down next to him with a first aid kit.  
"N-naruto-kun?"

He glanced up at her but didn't meet her eye.  
"I'm sorry Hinata-chan. All day all I have been doing is messing things up. I'm such a klutz. You know Sorami-chan actually predicted that I'd be dumb enough not to use oven mitts! I know she was only kidding but damn it! What kind of an idiot do I have to be to do these kinds of things all the time?!"

"Naruto-kun, no, the cookies were burning, you acted on instinct trying to keep the fire from spreading, and that's not idiotic at all."

"Pssh yeah, I forgot to mention how I almost burnt your entire house down." He grumbled.

"It was an accident, that's all. Don't worry about it." She said softly.  
"Let me see your hands."  
Naruto held them out towards her, they were extremely red and swollen but they weren't quite blistering, she placed a cold compress into them.  
"There, hold that for a few minutes and it will start to feel better."

"Thank you…  
Hey Hinata… can I ask you something?"

She nodded and furrowed her brows at his serious tone.

"How come you're always so nice to me?"

Hinata stared up at him and blushed.  
"W-why wouldn't I want to be nice to you N-naruto-kun?" She asked nervously.

"Well I mean I'm loud, brash, clumsy, immature, and stuff but you never seem to get annoyed. I've been ruining everything and doing everything wrong but you just laugh and tell me it's alright. Even before today: everyone would shun me and make fun but you've always been so kind… what's up with that?" He asked as she placed some soothing cream on his skin and began to wind gauze around his hands.

Hinata took a deep breath.  
_"When will a chance like this ever come up again?  
Now or never."_

"N-n-naruto-kun I-I…"  
She took another steadying breath to calm her nerves.  
She did not look up at his face; instead she stared at his newly bandaged hand, stroked it gently, and rubbed soothing circles over the cloth to occupy herself.

"I…I like how you are. I-I think you're funny. You always make me laugh and smile and you're so full of energy and light that it's practically contagious.  
You might mess things up but you put everything you have into everything you do and when you fail you just get up and try again."  
She traced the bandage back and forth softly with her fingers.  
"I don't think you're a fool, I think you just live life in the moment so you don't always think ahead. I think it's great how you can do and say the things everyone else is too afraid to and always have the courage to speak your mind even when other people label it as rude or obnoxious.  
I don't care what everyone else thinks about you Naruto-kun;  
I like you just the way you are… I always have."

Hinata closed her eyes and held her breath awaiting his response to her confession.

Naruto gaped at her.  
_"She likes me? Just the way I am?"_

"Not calmer? Not cooler? Not smarter?" He asked daftly.

Hinata opened her eyes, looked up at him, blushed deeply, and shook her head shyly.  
She lowered her eyes again and registered that she had been holding Naruto's hand and caressing it the whole time.  
She withdrew her hands quickly and held them curled over her chest, then looked away.

Naruto was staring at her with such an intensity that was almost palpable, his heart was pounding in his chest, and he reached his hand out towards her face...

"What's going on in here?" A male voice asked from the doorway.

Hinata shot up.  
"Neji-nii-san!" Hinata squeaked.

"Hinata-sama." Neji glanced down to her right.  
"Uzumaki??"

"Oh hey Neji!" Naruto said awkwardly as he straightened up.

"What's going on in here?" Neji queried again narrowing his eyes slightly.

"N-n-nothing! W-w-we were just cooking, I was teaching N-naruto-kun to cook."

"Cooking lessons Uzumaki?" Neji smirked and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah! You got a problem with that?!" Naruto responded defensively to the obvious jab at the manliness of his activities.

"Hn. Why should I concern myself with your pastimes? Although if Hiashi-sama were to witness the disaster you've made of his kitchen I believe that would be a different story."

It was true. Hinata and Naruto were both partially covered in flour along with a good section of the kitchen, the burnt cookies were still smoldering in the sink and a number of unclean dishes were littered about.

"And he might not be too pleased to find out that **you**, Hinata-**sama**, have brought a visitor to the residence without his prior consent, a **male** visitor at that. He has only allowed your two teammates to actually enter our home a small number of times if I'm not mistaken..."  
Hinata diverted her gaze to the ground.  
Naruto's eyes widened.  
_"Holy crap I'm dead! Her teammates have been close to her for years, why wouldn't he let them in?! Why would Hinata-chan risk all this just to get me in here?!! Why is Neji such a smug prick all the time?!"_

"I would consider it wise to clean up and have Uzumaki vacate the premises before Lord Hiashi's return or the consequences may be… unfortunate… amusing on my part perhaps, but unfortunate nonetheless. He was scheduled to train with me today within the next hour." Neji sneered and exited the room.

"I wish somebody would go on and forcibly rip that stick right out of Neji's a--"  
"Naruto-kun! Neji-san may have been a little derisive in his comments, but the truth of his words remains the same… we should probably finish up here before my father returns, I didn't realize how late it was getting." She ended in a slightly melancholy tone, noting the darkening sky outside; the sun was setting.

Naruto sighed.  
"Yeah I guess you're right."

--------

Hinata was cleaning dishes as Naruto was finishing wiping the flour off of everything: the kitchen was beginning to look presentable again.

"So Hinata-chan is what he said true? Would Hiashi-sama be mad at you if he found out you brought me here?"

"It is a possibility." Hinata said quietly.

"If that's so, then why did you agree to all this? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"Well I… you said you needed some cooking lessons a-and I thought my father would be out all day, I-I didn't really expect us to be this long… a-and… I-I guess the truth is… I just really wanted to spend time with you that's all." Hinata blushed a dark red.

Naruto walked over and started helping her with the dishes.  
"To be honest I'm really glad you did. Today has been a lot of fun; I really like spending time with you." He gave her a warm look and Hinata turned and smiled at him bashfully with a light blush dusting her cheeks.  
Naruto was finding the more he saw her blush today the more endearing it became.

Hinata washed while Naruto dried, they had set an even pace, and it seemed to come almost natural to them as they cleaned in a comfortable silence.

Naruto found himself imagining what life would be like in the future if both of them were doing mundane household chores together on a daily basis: dishwashing suddenly didn't seem like such a bothersome task anymore.

"Hinata!" Someone barked from the doorway.  
Both figures at the sink turned to stone.  
_"Oh crap. When Neji said 'within the hour' I didn't think he meant so soon!" _Naruto thought, petrified.

"Y-y-yes father?" Hinata turned around slowly.  
"What is the meaning of this!? What is **that boy** doing in **my** home, and what is **he** doing with **my** daughter?!" Hiashi shouted.

_"Okay, ouch no need to be so personal about it." _Naruto thought, affronted at the man's tone.

"I-I-I-I c-can... w-w-we were… I-I m-m-mean."  
Hinata was incredibly nervous and did not know what to say.

_"Whoa Hinata-chan doesn't even stutter this much when she talks to me!" _Naruto thought worriedly.

"Spit it out!" The Hyuga head demanded.

_"Alright that's enough! He can't talk to her like that!"_  
Naruto opened his mouth to tell off Hiashi when another voice cut in.

"Ahh Uzumaki-san there you are." Neji said coolly as he stepped into the room.

"Neji? Are you aware of what is going on here?" Hiashi questioned.

"Yes my Lord, I presumed it would be obvious. I asked Uzumaki-san to come and train with me today and as I went to my quarters to return my equipment he must have passed Hinata-sama cleaning in the kitchen and chivalrously offered to provide her assistance while he awaited my return."

"I see." Hiashi said while eyeing Naruto critically up and down.  
"Very well. You will dismiss your… **guest** and then meet me in the courtyard for sparring." Hiashi exited swiftly.  
Hinata and Neji bowed… then Naruto caught on and did so as well. Though he didn't quite see the point; seeing as the man hadn't even glanced back to see them do it, but then he figured maybe he could see them with the byakugan.

"Shall we then?" Neji asked and stepped aside so Naruto could pass.  
"I uhh guess I'll see you later then Hinata-chan." He nodded at her and she gave him a small smile and nodded back.  
He sighed at having their 'cooking lesson' end so abruptly but walked out into the hallway.

Hinata gave Neji a grateful look that said:  
"Thank you so much for saving me; you are the best cousin ever."

Neji gave her a smirk that almost resembled a smile which said:  
"I know I am… and you're welcome."

They bowed to each other before he left and Hinata resumed packing up alone.

------

Neji and Naruto walked down the hall in silence.  
_"Sooo I guess Neji isn't such an asshole after all huh? I should probably say something."_

"Thanks for that, ya know, covering for us and everything: it was decent of you. It was pretty quick thinking, that whole story about us training, I almost believed it myself." He said genially.

"Hn. It was nothing; a shinobi should be able to effectively use deception to avoid capture. It was just too pitiful to watch you both fail so miserably under Lord Hiashi's pressure." Neji scoffed.

_"Well there goes that whole "He's not an asshole" thing."_  
"Oh yeah!?! Well…! Thanks." Naruto ended gruffly, deciding it was better not to argue with his rescuer.  
The Hyuga prodigy didn't respond.

They reached the front door and Neji opened it for him.  
"Well uh good luck training with Hinata's father I guess." Naruto said as he put on his shoes.  
Neji nodded and Naruto exited.

"Uzumaki!" Neji called from the door as Naruto walked away.  
Naruto turned around.  
"I just thought I would tell you that I think Hinata-sama could have chosen far worse than you."

"Uhh… thanks?" Naruto said, perplexed.  
Neji smirked, amused at his confusion.

"However, do anything to mess this up and you **will** regret it." His visage suddenly turned grim and the door snapped shut in the blonde's face.

Naruto was thoroughly lost at this point but shrugged and started his trek out of the compound.

When he reached the gate he sighed and turned around to look back at the Hyuga manor.  
_"We didn't even get to really say goodbye. I never even found out if this was a real date or not. Oh Hinata-chan…"_  
"Naruto-kun!"  
_"I can almost hear your voice still calling my name…"_  
"Naruto-kun!"  
_"Wait, that actually is her voice!"  
_  
"Hinata-chan!" His face lit up into a smile.

She was running to catch up to him.  
"What are you doing out here? Hiashi-sama might see you!" He reprimanded, but he couldn't hide the delight in his voice.

"I-I j-just umm thought you might want t-to take some of our leftovers home. Y-you were saying how you didn't have any food so I just thought you could take some back and share it with Sorami. And also you never even got to have any of the cookies so I packed them up for you." She handed him a box.

"Thanks a lot Hinata-chan I really appreciate this. So umm yeah like I said earlier, I had a really great time today."  
"As did I Naruto-kun." She smiled genuinely at him.

Naruto's face held a small blush.  
_"Well here it goes!"_  
"Maybe we could do this again sometime… or maybe we could go out… somewhere… like to eat maybe… if you like ramen… we could make it like… a date or something." He said shuffling his feet.

Hinata's face turned scarlet, her brain stopped functioning, and she stared at him.

Naruto took her silence as a refusal and the rejection hit his insides like a bucket of ice water.  
"O-or not… that's cool…" He said lowly.

"I'D LOVE TO!!" Hinata actually shouted from forcing herself to speak up before he got the wrong impression.

Naruto was a little shocked at actually hearing those words shouted at him, especially coming from Hinata.

"REALLY?!" His whole demeanor lit up again.

Hinata gave him a brilliant smile and nodded furiously.

**[SUPER S/L: The Rocket Summer- Never Knew (Naruto's feelings on Hinata)]**

"AWSOME!!! That's great!! Yatta!!! So we'll hit up Ichiraku's tomorrow night!! I'll pick you up around seven!! Dattebayo!!"  
Naruto was so ecstatic at her acceptance he didn't know what to do with himself so he acted on impulse:  
he enveloped the kunoichi in a hug, spun her around, and kissed her cheek.

He let her go then blushed furiously, taking a few steps back.  
He rubbed the back of his head and looked at the girl who had now completely gone into shock.  
Noting her state he decided that he might have acted a little too rashly so he decided it was best to leave while he was ahead.  
"So yeah! Can't wait!! See you then!!" He rushed out the gate waving back at her.  
Hinata touched her cheek and then collapsed as soon as soon as the gate shut.

Outside Naruto started to race down the road with a huge grin on his face.  
His excitement was impossible to contain.  
He randomly gave an old lady a hug and she started hitting him over the head with her purse.  
But he could care less as he started running down the street laughing: he felt like he could fly.  
He jumped up onto the roof tops and rushed home.

* * *

**A/N:**  
Soooooo... watcha think??

Did I O.D. you on NaruHina?

I tried to make it seem as natural as possible while still developing their relationship, still having it be fun, and still keeping them in character.  
What would you say my success rate is captain?

PS: I totally love bipolar Neji! He's still the coldhearted, arrogant Hyuga we all know and love (or love to hate) but he's grown a bit of a soft spot for his baby cousin and acts like a big bro. X3  
And he likes being a rebel and doing things behind boss Hiashi's back! :}

More songs I think describe NaruHina and have a upbeat tune but I don't have anywhere to put them quite yet:  
Noticed- Mute Math  
So Much Love- The Rocket Summer


	18. All For You

**A/N:** Another long NaruHina chapter is coming your way!  
Sorry I've been laggin on the updates kiddos! I have an illustration for this chapter on deviant art to make it up to you! eh-heh....heh!  
If you want to check it out the address is here: http://xlilix(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Naruto-and-Hinatas-First-Date-110644390  
You should probably read the chapter first though! ;]  
Anywho: there is another **super suggested listening** here at some point, I advise you to check it out while you read (if you time it right it has a pretty nice effect) =D

PS: Honestly, I'm just curious… does anyone actually listen to the suggested listenings? Lol If so, what do you think of them? [Either way I'm keeping them, so sorry if you don't enjoy it… cuz I like em! =}

* * *

Naruto hopped down onto the landing in front of his apartment after having run around all of Konoha doing back flips and shouting off the rooftops in joy.

He pushed the door open.  
Something was off: Naruto's house didn't smell like this.  
His house smelled slightly of musk and stale ramen: this smelled… good.

"Heyyyy! You're back!" Sorami exclaimed while wiping her hands on an apron.

She was cooking in the corner and the smell of delicious food was lingering in the air.

"Sooooo!? How did it go with Hinata?! I'm dying to know!"

A huge grin spread over his face, he blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

Sorami threw her arms around him in a congratulatory hug.  
"Ahhh! Your face says it all! I knew it! Come on say it. You know you want to say it!" She walked back to the stove haughtily.

"Say what?" Naruto laughed at her jovial response as he sat at the table.

"Tell me I'm a genius! Didn't I say you'd be thanking me!?" She said exuberantly as she flipped what she was cooking in the pan.  
He rolled his eyes.  
"Fine, fine: 'Thank you Sorami-chan you're a genius' I bow down to your greatness." He said it sarcastically but still couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

She sighed.  
"Yes I know, I know. Oh stop it!" She said, waving him off in false modesty.  
"I knew I could find the perfect girl for you, matchmaking is just another one of my many **fabulous** talents…"

"Pfffft! Yeah right! You originally wanted to set me up with INO, remember? What a disaster that would have been!" Naruto cringed at the idea.

Sorami pointed her spatula at him and put her hand on her hip.  
"Hey! I would have gotten it right eventually: process of elimination sweetie pie!"  
So spill hon! Give me all the juicy details!" She said as she hopped up on the counter to sit next to her cooking.

"Okay, okay: so at first I was really nervous and all freaking out cuz I didn't know if Hinata-chan thought that this was officially a date or not, but then I decided that it wasn't really a date so that made me feel better--"  
"Mua-ha-ha!"

"What was that?"

Sorami raised her index finger in an explanatory manner.  
"Well, being the genius that I am: I had this planned out from the very beginning! By setting you up in a 'cooking lesson' it took the pressure off it being labeled a 'date' that way you could both be more relaxed and it would be easier for you to connect.  
Seriously: if I had actually hooked you guys up on a "date, date" the poor nervous Hinata would have had a heart attack, died, and never shown: then you would have been stood up, left broken hearted, and killed yourself.  
There would be two dead bodies and it would have been all my fault…  
Thank goodness I am so very clever." She said in all seriousness.

"Yes, because you planned all that out instantaneously in the middle of our conversation this morning.  
LIES!!!  
Sorami-chan, you know you just make this stuff up as you go along!" He shouted pointing an accusing finger at her.

Sorami pointed her spatula back at him dangerously.  
"Shun the nonbeliever! Shuuuuun…"

Naruto chuckled.  
"Anyway, so we meet up at the gate and we're all awkward at first then I see her house and it's like GINORMOUS then we talk about her family and home life-MAN! Her dad is a jerk! He never gives Hinata any of the respect she deserves! No wonder she has a confidence issues! And the guy is like all the rest of the ignorant old people in this village: he was acting like he hated me before he even talked to me!"

"Wait, you met her father?"

"Yeah, and got kicked out right after! Her family is really old fashioned and traditional and stuff so I guess they don't allow the women to have male visitors unless they have prior permission… heck, they probably even need a chaperone."

"So she risked getting in trouble just so she could be with you?! Oh how romantic, it's like a movie! The princess locked away in her tower, forbidden love!" Sorami had sparkles in her eyes and her hands were over her heart.

"Uh are you serious Sorami-chan?" Naruto asked flatly: it was too ridiculous.

"Oh Naruto. When have I **ever** been serious?" Sorami said, switching gears abruptly while checking a pot on the stove.  
"So far your story does not explain why you looked like you were floating when you came in here..."

Naruto sighed contentedly, remembering.  
"It was just great. Everything was a lot of fun and we had a connection: we made food, we had a flour fight, we talked, we laughed, we ate some of my nasty dumplings--she made the cutest face when she was totally disgusted--"

"Ooooh! Listen to you! You have got it **bad**! Aww my wittle boy is growing up so fast!" She joked as she pinched his cheek and set a plate of food in front of him.  
It was beef, snow pea, and mushroom stir fry served over rice.  
"Wow Sorami-chan this looks fantastic! Where did you get all this food?"

"Oh! I didn't tell you! I got the job at the Kato Café! They had me work there today and I collected my tips and went grocery shopping so I could throw us together a little something for dinner." She said cheerfully.

"That's awesome! Congrats!" Naruto stood and gave her a hug.  
"So tell me about your first day on the job! Do you like it there?"

"I'll tell you, if you promise you'll finish telling me all about your date with Hinata."

"It's a deal: you first."

"Well my boss is kind of crazy: she's all grumpy and what not but I think I'm really starting to get under her skin… in the good way! …I think. I mean I cracked a joke and I swear I saw her smile before she turned away! And then I have a coworker named Mina, she's Mrs. Kato's daughter, and she's really cool: at one point we were both standing there staring at this one guy who had a parrot on his head and he---"

Sorami continued to chatter while Naruto ate.  
It was the happiest he could remember being in a long while.  
Although it didn't seem like much: to come home, sit at the table and eat a home cooked dinner while he talked about his day with someone was something Naruto had always dreamt of.

------------

Naruto awoke for training at six the next morning. He silently shuffled around Sorami's bundle of blankets, fetched his clothes, and changed in the bathroom.  
When he was about to leave he returned to his room and looked at the pile of covers.

_"I forgot to tell her I had training with Pervy Sage this morning… will she wonder where I am? I bet she'll worry if I don't tell her… but I don't want to wake her up. I've never had anyone who needed to know where I am during the day… maybe I should write a note; yeah that's a good idea…"_

"See ya later Sorami-chan." He whispered to the room.

"See you! Why are we whispering?" Came a hushed voice from next to his ear.  
Naruto shot into the air in surprise.

"You!? I! How?! Sorami-chan!!!!"

He pointed at her and then at the bundle of blankets he had presumed to be a sleeping body.

"Oh that? Yeah, I didn't feel like making my bed this morning. How sweet, you thought it was me: you whisper goodbyes to me while I sleep! Awww!" She poked him in the ribs.

"What are you even doing up? Don't you like to sleep in?" He said embarrassedly trying to change the subject.

"I have work this morning: opening shift. I think Mrs. Kato is testing my loyalty or commitment or something, so I decided to wake up and get there early. Come on, I made us some breakfast!"

They made their way to the kitchen and there were eggs, toast, and orange juice set up at the table.  
_"No instant to-go ramen for me this morning! Pervy Sage can wait."_

"I also packed up the leftovers Hinata gave you yesterday for your lunch. We're going to need to go grocery shopping tomorrow: I didn't get to buy too much food yesterday because it was only one day's worth of tips, we can't go today because I have work until six and you have your date with Hinata-chan at seven." She listed off absently as she munched on her toast.

"You want me to go grocery shopping with you?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

"Well sure! I need you there; we need to buy food we both like that can last us a while. Last night I was basically guessing when I picked foods; I was kinda scared you weren't going to like it!"

"No! I loved it! It was terrific!"

"Well good. Although I do love me some ramen: eating instant cup-ramen everyday is a thing of the past! You better get used to my cooking kiddo!"

Naruto smiled to himself.  
"It's not even an issue."

After a few minutes there was a loud knock at the door and Naruto made to get up.  
"You sit. Finish your breakfast, I'll get the door." Sorami ordered, he shrugged and happily complied, gobbling down more eggs.

_"I wonder who this could be so early in the morning… or maybe it's normal for Naruto to have guests this early hmm…"_ Sorami thought as she made her way over to the door and opened it.

"Listen kid, I'm basically doing you a favor by training you, so if you're not going to bother to show up I have much better things to do with my time than baby-sit some punk." Jiraiya drawled, as he leaned up against the doorframe with his eyes closed.

"Uhh… I'll be sure to keep that in mind?" Sorami said confusedly.

Jiraiya's lady senses were tingling: that was a woman's voice.

"Well hel-lo gorgeous! What are you doing at the kid's house? You deserve to be with a real man, a man who can take you and--"  
"SHE'S NOT INTERESTED!" Naruto bellowed as he pushed Sorami behind him.

"The adults are talking now kid, and come on, she's a little too old for you don't ya think?"

"If she's too old for me then she's got to be **way** too **young** for you Pervy Sage!"

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched.  
"WHATCH THAT MOUTH OF YOURS YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

"OH YEAH?! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT HUH?!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID TO DESERVE SUCH AN UNGREATFUL SHIT OF AN APPRENTICE AS YOU!"

"HA! YOU'RE LUCKY I'M ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN STAND TO BE AROUND YOU AND YOUR PERVERTED---"

"You're Naruto's teacher? Hi, I'm Sorami; it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry if I kept Naruto from you, I must have lost track of time! We were just having a little breakfast, would you like to come in?"  
Sorami had somehow popped up between them and was now shaking Jiraiya's hand pleasantly.

Both men blinked at her confusedly as she interrupted their fight, then Jiraiya switched back to schmoozing mode:  
"Well if you insist baby I think we could--"

"NO! WE'RE LEAVING!" Naruto shouted defensively and slammed the door in his face.  
"Alright Sorami-chan I gotta go train with Pervy Sage there so I'll see you when you get off work." Naruto continued as if nothing had happened.

"Should I even ask?" Sorami gave the closed door a questioning glance.

"That's my master, Jiraiya. He's a perv, so don't listen to anything he says, don't talk to him, don't let him touch you, be near you... j-just avoid him if at all possible."

"Gotcha, I'll just ignore him completely. So I guess I'll see you around six and help you get ready for your date with hina-poo" Sorami winked at him.

Naruto opened the door to see a fuming sannin on the other side but both he and Sorami promptly ignored him.  
"See you tonight Sorami-chan"  
"Have a nice day sweetie" Sorami gave him a hug and walked back into the apartment.

-----------------

"So who was the babe?" Jiraiya asked as they walked down the stairs.

"None of your beeswax, so just forget about her perv." Naruto grumbled.

"Come on short stuff; let me in on it, if the story's interesting enough I might just feature you in my next book!"

"ARG! GROSS! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOU IT!"

"So she's your girlfriend huh? Didn't even know you had one: you're holding out on your dear old sensei!!!" Jiraiya cried dramatically.

Naruto blanched  
"She's not my girlfriend! We just live together."

"I figured as much actually. You didn't act much like lovers, more like she was your caretaker or something."

"Yeah, and besides I'm going out with Hin-." Naruto stopped before he could finish that word.

"Hmm?! What was that?! You say you really **do** have a girl?!" Jiraiya questioned excitedly.

"No! It's none of your business!" The teen covered nervously.

"I didn't even know you had it in ya shrimp! Ha-ha! So who is this lucky lady? Obviously someone around your age range huh? Its not Sakura is it? I mean she has certainly _matured,_ I have to admit she--"

"Finish that sentence and die. Her name is Hinata, alright? Happy now?"

"The Hyuga heiress??? Ha-ha-ha! You always aim for the moon kid!" Jiraiya slapped him boisterously on the back in a proud manner.  
"I have to say you've got some kind of taste: she is a looker and man does she have some lovely lady lumps if you know what I mea-oof!"  
Naruto had landed a surprise punch on his stomach.  
Jiraiya recovered instantly and shot the blonde a dark look.

Naruto stared him dead in the eye.  
"I need to make this clear: you don't ever… **ever** even **think **that way about Sakura-chan or Sorami-chan and especially not Hinata-chan! You got that?!"

Jiraiya sighed and relaxed. He then grabbed his student in a headlock and began to walk down the road.

"You really like this girl huh kid? Well no need to get all riled up over this: save some of that spunk for training." He said as he noogied his student's skull.

"Rah! Arg! Promise me!" Naruto grunted as he struggled in his mentor's grasp.

"Fine, you win short stuff; I'll try to keep my thoughts clean about your hot little girlfriend, I promise."

Naruto finally escaped his grasp and glared at him, then crossed his arms and huffed as he walked beside the white haired man.  
"However, you have no claim on that Sorami chick… say, is she single? I wouldn't mind dipping my pen in her ink!"

"ACK! Get it through your thick skull! She's too young for you and she is absolutely NOT interested!"

"Never stopped me before!" Jiraiya grinned pervertedly.

"Ugg you're a hopeless dirty old man." Naruto grumbled.

"Yeah and you're an immature snot nosed brat." Jiraiya grumbled back.

They both cracked a smile as they walked to the training ground.

----------------------------

At six ten Naruto returned home.  
As he unlocked the door he was suddenly sucked in by something.

"Hurry! No time! Get in the shower!" Sorami yelled as she pulled Naruto to the bathroom.

"Wha?? I took a shower this morning!"

"Ugg you've been training and you're all sweaty and gross! Get in there and make it snappy!" She ordered as she turned the taps on and left.  
Naruto stripped and stepped in the shower.

"Wash! Wash like the wind, boy!" Sorami shouted as she paced in front of the door.

"I'm going!"

Another few minutes passed.  
"If you're not out in thirty seconds I'm coming in there and hosing you down myself!"

"I'm done, I'm done!" He said as he opened the door while toweling off his hair.

"Why are you wearing that?" She pointed at his tracksuit.

"I always wear this! What the heck is wrong with it?!"

"Well first off, those are your smelly training clothes! Secondly: this is your first date with Hinata! You can't just wear what you always wear! It has to be special! Here, I picked out these for you while you took a lifetime in the shower."

She handed him a pair of black slacks, a white under shirt, and a black jacket.  
"What, **this**?! These are almost like my funeral clothes!"

"Well they're the best I have to work with! So scootch!" She shoved him back in the bathroom.

He came out fully clothed and looking disgruntled.  
"I look ridiculous; we're only going to Ichiraku's…"

"Oh hush, all we have to do is tuck the shirt in loosely and pull out this cool necklace you have here, take off this headband--"  
"Hey I need that!"  
"Not tonight you don't! And besides your hair looks nice down like that--let's just comb these out here--your spikes look good a little longer--"  
"Ahh! Sorami-chan!" He hissed as she quickly raked a comb through his hair, smoothing and primping every so often.

"There!" She wolf whistled.  
"Perfect! Not too formal but not casual either: it says that you tried to look good for her but not so hard that you seem desperate." Sorami said triumphantly.

"I feel like an idiot." Naruto monotoned.

"Well that's okay because you look dashing and that's all that matters! Picture time!" Sorami busted out a disposable camera and started flashing away.

"Huh? Where did you get a camera?!"

"I picked it up on my way home from work! I thought about how this is your first real date and I thought we should document the occasion!"

"You are soooo embarrassing Sorami-chaaaan!"

"Oh no I'm not! Don't be ridiculous! Hold on, you got a little schmutz there--" She licked her finger and started wiping his cheek.

"Arg! Ack! Sorami-chan, stop fussing!" Naruto said as he scrunched up his face and leaned away from her.

"Alright, alright, I'm done, I promise. Aww you look so handsome! Hmm… what's missing from this picture…? Oooh! Are you going to buy her flowers?"

"I was sort of planning on it yeah… is that too much?" Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head.  
"No way! It's super sweet, she'll love it! But yikes, it's already six thirty five: you have to get going hon!" She ushered him to the door.

Sorami gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.  
"Go on now, hurry! And have fun!"  
"I will!" He yelled as he jogged away.  
"Knock her dead honey!... n-not literally! Be careful about that fainting thing! Err… just have fun!"

----------------------------

The bell above the door tinkled and Ino glanced up from her magazine to see a tall strapping figure bent over a flower arrangement.

She jumped up and plastered on her prettiest flirtatious smile.  
"Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers, is there **anything** I can help you with sir?" Ino said in a seductive tone.

The figure stood up and looked at her confusedly.  
Ino's face dropped.

"Oh it's just you Naruto. What do you want?" Annoyed, she sat back on her stool and pulled the magazine out again.

"You work here Ino?"

"Everybody knows that! Hello! **Yamanaka** Flowers! Duh!"

"Well sooo-rry!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at her.

Ino scoffed and rolled her eyes at him but then took note of his outfit again.  
"What's with the fancy getup? I barley even recognized you without that garish orange you always wear."

Naruto was still browsing the aisles with his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration.  
"Do I really look that different?"

"Yeah. Actually, it's a vast improvement from the mess you usually wear. What's the occasion?"

"I sort of had my doubts when Sorami-chan chose my outfit but I guess it's alright."  
Naruto was purposefully avoiding telling her about his date with Hinata: he knew how much Ino loved to gossip and he didn't think lord Hiashi would be to keen on finding out Hinata was dating the kyubi boy.

"Who's Sorami??"

_"Dang! Just something else she can gossip about, I didn't even think about that!"  
_"Uhh nobody, just my roommate."

"Roommate? But… you only have a one bedroom apartment…" She gasped hugely.  
"You're sleeping with someone! Wait, you're sleeping with someone?! YOU?!?!" Ino got up and walked over to him, abandoning her magazine: this was obviously much juicier.

"NO! We just live together gosh! Ugg I'm getting sick of everyone jumping to that conclusion! WE ARE JUST FRIENDS. Go on and spread the word, I'm sick of explaining this!"

"Sheesh! I get it, gosh! No need to be so rude!

Soo you never answered my question."

"Yeah I did. I just told you who Sorami-chan is."

"No my first question was why are you all dressed up?"

_"Damn she's persistent! She never lets anything go, does she?"  
_"I'm going out."

"Oh yeah? And what are the flowers for huh?" Ino was smiling wickedly: she knew he was obviously hiding something and Ino just loved a good secret.

"They're for somebody. But there's so many I don't know which ones she'd like best."

"She?! So they **are** for a girl! Who is it Naruto!?"

_"Shit! I let that one slip!"_  
"No way am I telling you! The second I tell you anything you'll blow it out of proportion and tell the whole village! I remember that one time Kiba was getting flowers for his sick aunt and it somehow ended up being a twisted rumor of him eloping and moving to the land of snow!"

"Fine, whatever, don't tell me! I don't even care!"

"Good. So you work here and you're a girl: what flowers do you suggest I get her?"

"Well what are you trying to say?"  
Ino asked, cunningly trying to figure out what this girl meant to Naruto:  
Was she a lover? A friend? A deceased loved one? A respected superior?  
She **had** to know and what he wanted to say with the flowers would tell her.

Unfortunately for her, Naruto was much too "clever" to succumb to such sly reconnaissance tactics:

"…  
I'm **trying **to ask you what kind of flower I should get… I just said that."

"No you idiot!! What are you trying to say **with the flowers**!"

"Huh? You mean like a card? No, I just want the flowers."

"Oh my god! You are so clueless! Listen up: each flower has a different meaning, whatever flowers you choose will give the recipient a hidden message about your feelings towards them."

"Like secret, flower Morse code?! Gah! This is too complicated! I don't have time for this! I'll just pick them myself!"

"Fine! That's the last time I try to help you!" Ino stormed off and sulked at the checkout counter.

Naruto kept looking around searching for the perfect bouquet; he finally reached a decision and took them to Ino.

"Here, these are the ones I want." Naruto mumbled.

_"Hmm white and stargazer lilies… white means innocence and purity, while pink represents high aspirations… he has good intentions: he wants a relationship with this person and has high hopes for what is to come but is nervous and anxious at the same time. Perhaps first love…"_  
"So why'd you end up choosing these?" Ino said casually as she rung him up.

"I dunno, I guess cuz they're really pretty and they smell really good: I think she'll like them. At least I hope she likes them."

Ino smiled warmly at him: he really was trying to impress this girl.  
"I'm sure she will." She said kindly.

"…But! I could tell you for certain if she'd like them if I knew who she was exactly… what was her name again?" Ino continued, returning to her nosy manner.

"Nice try Ino. Thanks for the flowers."

"No problem. Have a nice date."

"Thanks."  
_"Wait! damn it!"_

"HA! I knew it was a date!"

"Goodbye Ino!" Naruto shouted irritably as he left the store.

----------------------------------------

To say Hinata was nervous would be an understatement.  
She stood outside the clan compound, waiting under the cover of a tree.  
Even though her father was busy with a clan meeting this evening, she felt she couldn't be too careful so she hid in the shadows.

Her face held a light blush and she flattened out her dress for the thousandth time in the last five minutes.  
She silently wondered if she looked foolish.  
Surely Naruto would be dressed in his normal attire, after all, they were just going to Ichiraku: he always went there, why should this be any different?  
Hinata felt naked and exposed: she had forgone her ninja garb and was now wearing a flowing pale lavender summer dress that stopped just at the knee.  
It wasn't too revealing but without her large jacket she felt insecure so she substituted it with an off-white cardigan sweater that had quarter length sleeves.

_"Naruto-kun is late… maybe he's not coming… maybe he's forgotten about me…"_  
Just when she started to lose hope, Naruto came sliding from around the corner; he was running full speed and went right past her.

Hinata stepped out from the shadows.  
"N-n-naruto-kun?"

Naruto jerked around at hearing his name, but wasn't prepared for what he saw when he did.  
He had never seen Hinata without her ninja uniform and her large jacket left a lot to the imagination.

Now standing under the soft glow of the streetlight with her pastel dress fluttering in the warm, summer night breeze, no woman had ever looked more beautiful: she was breathtaking.

Hinata literally took Naruto's breath away.

That, plus the fact he was breathless from running ten blocks after realizing he was late: but mostly it was the vision of Hinata.

Said girl was currently swooning at the moment but was determined not to faint.  
Naruto had always been handsome in her eyes, of course, but tonight he had made a special effort and it was all for her.

The color of Hinata's face as she took him in could not even be called red; it needed a new name just for the occasion: the color was now officially named "Hinata."

(S/L: Sufjan Stevens- The Dress Looks Nice on You [meeting up])

Naruto stumbled to where she stood, still in awe of the sight before him,

"I… uhh… I'm late… it's cuz of… f-flowers..."  
He could not even string an intelligible sentence together as he held the bouquet of lilies out to her.

However it was much better than Hinata was doing: she was in such shock she couldn't manage speaking at all.  
She daftly accepted the flowers from him while not breaking contact from his blue irises.

They stood just looking at each other for another minute until finally Naruto snapped out of it.  
"So umm… do you like them?"

Hinata blinked. _  
"What on earth is he talking about?"_  
She looked down and jolted in surprise to find flora in her arms.  
Her eyes softened.  
_"He bought me flowers. He, Naruto Uzumaki, brought me, Hinata Hyuga, lilies."_  
"T-they're wonderful Naruto-kun, I love them. Thank you."  
She said as she gazed at them adoringly.

Naruto smiled at her, seeing her expression.  
"I'm really glad you like them; I've never bought flowers for anyone before so I didn't know exactly what I was doing, but I wanted to get you ones that were special."

She looked up at him and beamed.  
"They are from you so they are very special to me, thank you so much."

Naruto blushed at the compliment.  
"Y-you look really pretty. I felt kind of silly dressing up for our date but... you …you look amazing."

"T-thank you Naruto-kun."  
Hinata had never felt more beautiful: not when she was wearing expensive elegant kimonos nor when guests at gatherings and festivals told her how fine she looked.  
No, none of those compared to the simple look this boy gave her at this moment.

Naruto tentatively slipped his hand into Hinata's and smiled at her.  
She blushed and smiled back as they began to walk.

If Hinata imagined heaven, this would probably be it.

(picture)

-----------------------

Hinata and Naruto were nearing Ichiraku's, their clasped hands swinging lightly with their steps.  
"We're all dressed up and you're probably used to going to high end restaurants… I'm sorry I'm not taking you somewhere fancier than Ichiraku's." Naruto said sullenly.

"N-no d-don't be silly Naruto-kun, there's nowhere I'd rather go. I've heard this is your favorite place to eat, so I'm glad I get to come here with you." She said softly giving him a shy smile.  
Naruto smiled back and gave her hand a squeeze as they entered the shop.

"Welcome!" Ichiraku turned around.  
"Hey Naruto! What do we have here? You've brought yet another lovely young lady in here this week! Is **this** one your girlfriend?" He laughed at his own joke.

Naruto grinned, looked at Hinata, rubbed the back of his head and blushed.  
He then showed her to a stool and sat down next to her.  
Hinata smiled bashfully and looked at her lap with a blush on her face as well.

"Well I'll be…" Ichiraku said in a reverent tone.  
"What'll you have kids? Anything you want you can get it! It's on me tonight as congratulations for the both of you!"

"No way! Free ramen again?! If you keep doing this with me old man you're ganna go out of business!"

"You let me worry about my business, so what will you have Miss…" Ichiraku trailed off.

"Oh whoops! Sorry old man! This is Hinata!" Naruto slung his arm around her shoulders and beamed at her.

"N-n-n-nice t-to meet you sir"  
Naruto had his arm around her and she was being introduced to a chief member of his life: she was a little nervous.

"It's an honor to meet you Miss Hinata"

"Well I'm going to have the special noodles tonight if it's on you old man! What about you Hinata?"

"Umm well, I-I suppose I'll have the same!"

"Great! Two specials coming right up!" Ichiraku turned to the stove and started on the order.  
"So Miss Hinata you should know you're a quite a lucky gal, goin' out with this guy: he's a good kid."

"Old man!" Naruto was deeply embarrassed.

"Y-yes I-I do know, I c-consider myself very lucky." Hinata blushed a deep red.

"And you Naruto! You should just thank your lucky stars **any** girl has taken an interest in you! I was starting to worry!

"HEY!"  
Hinata giggled.

"You sure did pick a good one; you seem like quite a fine young woman Miss Hinata."

"T-thank you" She blushed.

The food came and went and they chatted happily throughout the meal but near the end of their time together a question nagged at the back of Naruto's mind.

"Hey Hinata, I was wondering umm, what did your father say when you told him you were going out tonight?"

"Well… I… umm I didn't exactly tell him. He had a clan meeting this evening and so I just slipped away without anyone noticing."

"Hinata… I'm really glad you came, I love seeing you, but I don't want you sneaking around and getting in trouble just because of me…"

"No! I-It's okay! I want to--"

"I know, but I don't want you to get in trouble with your father and get in fights just so I can take you to get ramen. I mean if you want we could meet after you train and work around a time when your father doesn't--"

"Naruto-kun thank you but I know the risk I am taking... I have already witnessed the worst punishment my father has to offer… a-and if it means being with you… t-then I am beyond willing to take that risk."

"Worst punishment? What has he done to you?" Naruto's eyes narrowed, just the thought of someone hurting Hinata in any way made his blood boil.

She turned away and looked down sadly.  
"I-It's not what you think… it's not like that at all… my father would never hurt me physically but he has caused me deep pain before…"

She took a breath.  
"When I was younger I wasn't exactly meeting the expectations of my clan…  
and my father…  
he decided it would be best if I were to step down as heir.  
I did not seem to be the strong enough to be the Hyuga head and so he disowned me and left me in the care of Kurenai-sensei….  
They saw me as weak… I wasn't good enough… I was unworthy of the name Hyuga."

Naruto's grip on the counter had tightened so much that it had almost begun to splinter.  
"Bullshit." He said in his darkest tone.

Hinata looked at him in shock.  
"N-n-naruto-kun?" She couldn't believe he would say something so hurtful about her story.

"Anything they've ever told you is complete bullshit Hinata! Don't listen to a word they say! You are one of the fiercest kunoichi I have ever met! Your father must be an idiot to not see how strong you are! You are amazing! Man, I feel like going to your house right now and giving him a piece of my mind!"

Hinata blushed  
"N-naruto-kun... it means so much to hear that from you, for you are one of the greatest fighters I have ever known and am truly honored by your acknowledgement.  
But you must not overreact, my father has let me return home due to my improvement and even though the title of heir is still undecided, I am not very devoted to the politics of my family and I have forgiven my father."

"Hinata! How can you just forgive him?! It's not right! How could he do that to you?! Kick you out just because you're not the best fighter… it doesn't make sense.  
My whole life I wanted a family because I thought they were supposed to be the most important things in the world! Family is supposed to be people love you, who take care of you, would do anything for you, people who you have the strongest bonds with and let nothing get in the way of that! He's your father! How could someone from your family do that to you: betray your trust and love like that! How can you forgive him!?" Naruto's voice was pained; his idea of a family was shaken and he looked at her pleadingly for an answer.

Hinata looked back at him with sympathetic eyes.  
"I forgave him for that very reason Naruto-kun. I forgave him because I love him and he is my family. But I grew from that experience; I like to believe I became a little stronger and wiser from it. I love my father regardless of his faults and though it pains me that he feels I am so disposable, I believe one day he will understand the err of his ways and I-I have become determined to work to prove my worth to him. If he were to disown me once again I would be devastated but I can not let that control every aspect of my life.  
So you see I have nothing more to fear from my father and I am perfectly fine with the risk I take in seeing you Naruto-kun; every moment I spend with you is worth it."

Naruto was dumbstruck. How could this girl be so kindhearted? How could she endure so much and then still be willing to forgive? She was so brave to put that at stake and it was all for him.

Naruto stood up abruptly from his stool and took Hinata's hand in his.  
"Come on Hinata I want to show you something."

Hinata stood and bowed to Ichiraku.  
"Gochisosama deshita Ichiraku-san. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"You're welcome here anytime Miss Hinata! I look forward to seeing you again soon; with this guy you might be back tomorrow!" He chuckled.

Hinata smiled and Naruto waved as he led Hinata into the street by her hand.

"Where are we going Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as he swiftly pulled her down the road.

"It's a surprise." Naruto gave her hand a squeeze as they rushed down a few more blocks.

"Here we are." They were stopped in the middle of the road, all the buildings were dark and the streetlamps weren't even on.

"N-naruto-kun I don't understa--"  
"Hold tight!" Naruto suddenly secured his arm around her waist and pushed off from the pavement.

"Eeep!"  
Hinata had squealed due to several factors: one from surprise, another from having the sudden feeling of being weightless while getting lifted off the ground, and lastly the fact that Naruto had held her so intimately.

Naruto jumped up a few balconies, then to a rooftop and then up once more to a higher point.

"This is what I wanted to show you."

Hinata opened her eyes.  
They were several stories up and were standing atop a water tower; the lights from houses and shops were glowing softly in the distance.

"It's amazing." Hinata replied warmly.

Naruto lowered himself down and let his legs hang over the edge then patted the spot next to him for her to sit.

"This is a special spot for me: I come here to sit and think and look at the stars. It's kind of darker around here so they look even brighter than anywhere else in town. When I look up into the sky and see it go on forever like that, I dunno, it just makes me feel at peace somehow.  
I wanted to share this with you Hinata-chan.  
I want you to know that: even with whatever else is going on in your life, there is still someplace where you can go and have everything be okay."

"Naruto-kun… I-I don't know what to say… this is so wonderful…"

Naruto laced his fingers with hers and they both gazed up at the stars in tranquil silence.  
Hinata sighed and gently rested her head on his shoulder; Naruto looked at her and smiled affectionately: he had never felt this way about anyone before.

Naruto lost track of time just sitting there looking up at the stars but when he once again glanced down at Hinata he found that her eyes were starting to drift closed: it was obviously getting pretty late.

"Hey Hinata, we should probably be getting back… I think it might look a little suspicious if you walk into the Hyuga compound at dawn." Naruto laughed quietly.

Hinata blinked wearily but did not move; instead she nestled into his shoulder further.  
"I-I'd rather stay here. I don't want this to end."  
She yawned silently but Naruto didn't miss it.

"We can do this again anytime you want I promise, and you know I keep my promises, but right now we should both be getting some sleep."

"…Hai."  
They stood up together, joined hands, and jumped.

------------------------

They reached the side wall of the compound: Hinata knew the security was lax at this point of the building and was going to silently hop the fence. Stealth and information gathering on security systems were among her area of expertise: being part of a team that specialized in recon did have its advantages.

"Be careful getting back in, I feel like those byakugans can see us right now." Naruto shivered.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, I already checked ahead, the guards are patrolling the northern most perimeter at the moment and almost everyone else is asleep."

"Well that's a relief I guess!"

"We still should be a bit quiet though" Hinata whispered.

"Oh right, sorry." Naruto whispered back and laughed.  
"So when do you get off training tomorrow? I'm only doing basic training with my team until four so we could go eat or hangout or whatever you want!"

"O-oh I'm so s-sorry Naruto-kun. I-I have a mission scheduled for tomorrow. It's only for two days though! I-I sort of wish I didn't have to go now… If I had known that we would… that you and I were… I probably wouldn't have…" Hinata lowered her head in shame and her hair fell into her face.

Naruto stepped to her, tucked the lock of hair back behind her ear, and lifted her face up.  
"Don't feel bad. I'm just going to miss my girlfriend for a few days, that's all, and besides: distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?" He said tenderly as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"_Girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend."_  
Hinata felt fuzzy, as if she might pass out:  
he had just made their relationship completely official;  
her heart was beating wildly in her chest;  
he was holding her face so intimately;  
they were both staring at each other so intently;  
and their faces were so close.  
It seemed as if any second now they could… they could…  
….yep she definitely felt faint.

However, Naruto noticed her loosing focus and decided he had over stepped his boundaries with the shy girl.

He let his hand fall and moved away.  
"You should probably be getting inside." He said resignedly and sighed.  
He had wanted to so badly!  
His heart had been going nuts!  
If he had just inched his face a little closer!  
But no, he didn't want to push it on their first real date; if Hinata wasn't ready, he could wait.

At the loss of contact and his statement, Hinata snapped back to reality.  
"R-right…" She was grateful she hadn't passed out again, but was still a little disappointed at any rate. This was supposed to be the moment she had dreamed about.

**(S/S/L: Sebastion Tellier- La Ritournelle [play it while you read! lol])**

Naruto watched as she slowly walked away from him towards the wall.  
She stopped and Naruto waited for her to jump; he was trying to keep her in his sight for as long as possible.  
She paused then suddenly turned around and looked at him determinedly.

"What's wrong? Are the guards coming back?" Naruto whispered worriedly.  
She closed the gap between them in three long strides, wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her lips onto his.

Naruto was initially too shocked to respond but then quickly caught on: he wrapped his arms around her and started moving his lips along hers.

Hinata had never been so bold in all her life,  
but she was far too busy reveling in the feel of being in Naruto's arms and kissing him to faint now.

It was like the whole rest of the world had disappeared and only Hinata and Naruto were left, locked in that instant in time.

All insecurities and doubts had vanished: worries about the time, guards, and missions didn't exist.

Pulses raced, faces flushed, and hands gently roamed.

They broke apart to breathe, rested their heads against each other, their eyes closed, and Naruto nuzzled the side of her face with his nose.

Hinata's hands made their way into Narutos hair and Naruto embraced her neck and chin as he slanted his lips against hers again.

They were gentle and slow but grew deeper and bolder as the moments passed.  
Every so often, out of a kiss, came a smile.  
Their first kiss said everything: it was sweet, pure, passionate, and blissful.

After a few endless minutes Hinata started to pull back.  
Naruto's response to this was to lean forward and catch much smaller kisses as her head backed away: she smiled and reciprocated the small pecks but they eventually parted.

They gazed at each other breathlessly.  
"I-I… I s-should p-probably go in…"

Naruto nodded in response, he seemed at a loss for words at the moment.  
Hinata gave him one final, quick, mind numbing kiss then ran to the wall.

"G-goodnight!" She squeaked as she jumped to the top of the fence.  
Naruto watched her daftly.

"Y-yeah… you… you have a good night too."  
Hinata had already jumped down to the other side and Naruto was now talking to the stone barrier.

He started to dazedly walk towards his home and touched his lips with the tips of his fingers as if to see what he had just felt had been real.

------------

Hinata ran as swift as she could into her house making sure to be as silent and stealthy as possible. When she reached her room she flopped onto the bed, her face glowing red, and passed out in elation.  
(The next morning they would have extreme difficulties rousing her for her mission.)

Across town a blonde young man had reached his home as well yet he endured the complete opposite effect:  
Naruto lay in bed awake all night replaying the night's events in his head continuously as he stared out his window at the lightening sky.

The only person on his mind was Hinata.


	19. Here Now

**A/N:** Well! Fancy seeing you here! It's been a while eh?! Yeeeeeah! Totally going to act like I haven't been missing for like a decade!  
Umm ha..ha..ha? I won't keep you from the story any longer than necessary so if you want to know more about my abscence check the bottom authors note ;)  
PS: This chapter is a whole mess of Sorami. Also this chapter contains some mature language...  
Alright have fun!

* * *

"Two green teas, one tuna special, and an order of dango… your total is $10.25 sir."

"Here you go miss."

The man handed Sorami a crisp twenty dollar bill.  
She looked down at the register and started to gather his change but when she looked up he was already at the door.

"Ahh! Sir your change!" she ran up to him with the money.

"That's alright, you keep the change." The man smiled at her.

"W-w-ha n-n-n---" Sorami sputtered.

"It was excellent and the service was fantastic, you take care now."

Sorami blinked as he turned away from her.  
"Oh, uh, t-thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed your meal." She bowed.  
"Thank you again!" She bowed again as he exited.

Sorami returned to the counter and looked around the shop; he had been the last customer and now the place was empty.  
Mina came from the back rooms wiping her hands on a dish towel.  
"He was the last one huh? It's that stupid dango shop across town; it's become so popular lately! Our dango is just as good if not better than theirs, and don't even get me started on our tea!" She sighed.  
"Oh well, at least we have history and reputation on our side, you know my family has owned this shop for three generations?"

"Really? Wow, it doesn't look that old." Sorami replied, looking around at the sturdy brick and bright lanterns.

"I know, right? We do our best to keep it stylish and fresh. It's part of the reason people keep on coming back for more."

Sorami eyed an iron clock on the wall.  
"Hey Mina, since it's kind of empty right now, would you mind if you covered the rest of my shift? I kind of wanted to get home early."

"Yeah I'm down, but you have to ask "the boss"… hey! Speak of the **devil**!"

Mrs. Kato walked into the room.  
"Speak of **what** Mina?" She narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

"Speak of letting Sorami off early." Mina answered casually while eyeing her nails: she was accustomed to her mother's gruff attitude.

"Hmph! What have you got to get to that's so important?" Mrs. Kato shot at Sorami.

"Well I wanted to go grocery shopping with Naruto."

"Oooh! Who's that? Your husband? Boyfriend? Whoa! Hold up! Do you have a kid?!" Mina asked rapidly

Sorami laughed.  
"I guess you could say he's my boy; Naruto's my roommate and he's fifteen."

"Wow a youngin!" Mina laughed.

"Naruto…. Sounds familiar…. isn't he that demon fox boy?" Mrs. Kato asked curtly.

"Oh yeah… is it him? Do you know about that Sorami…?" Mina asked in a subdued tone.

"How he's the container of a demon? Yeah, he's told me. What of it? What do you think of him?" Sorami was starting to get defensive: she liked her coworkers but if they said something about Naruto she was ready to find a new job.

Mrs. Kato gave her a firm glare at her tone.  
Mina shifted uncomfortably and glanced back and forth between the two.

"Never met him myself! How the hell should I know what to think of him!?" Mrs. Kato yelled dismissively and went back to polishing a spoon.

"Well then maybe I should bring him in here sometime!" Sorami shouted with sarcastic anger.  
"Well maybe you should!" Mrs. Kato barked back but smiled discretely behind her rag.

Mina let out a relieved breath.  
"Yeah we'd love to meet your Naruto." She smiled warmly.

"Cool, I'll make him stop by sometime… So am I allowed to go?" Sorami gave Mrs. Kato puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah: you've been working overtime everyday since you started, it's 4:30, and no one's here. Me and Mina can man the fort, you go buy your diapers and what not." She mumbled.

"THANK YOU!" Sorami enveloped her in a hug.

Mrs. Kato fought off the smile that was creeping onto her face.  
"Just go." She grumbled as Sorami released her.

"See ya tomorrow guys!" Sorami waved as she exited the shop.

"Wow she hugged you and didn't get slapped in the face: my, my, aren't we the softy." Mina teased her mother as she swatted the dish towel at her.

"Oh shut the hell up." Mrs. Kato snapped as she threw her polishing rag at her daughter's face.

-------------------------------

"NA-RU-TOOO!!!!!" Sorami wailed the second she slammed the door open.

The blonde ninja had just relaxed and settled himself down for a nap after training when he was startled awake and toppled from his bed.

"There you are! Now what are you doing on the floor you silly boy!?" Sorami asked dramatically, as if she couldn't possibly guess the reason for his predicament.

"Oh ya know, just hangin out" Naruto replied sarcastically against the hardwood floor.

"Well up, up, up! We're going grocery shopping, remember!?"

"I thought you had work until six today."

"They let me out early for good behavior." Sorami winked.

"Oh that's cool…um so I've been thinking: I trust your opinion and I'm not really picky when it comes to food, so you don't really need me to go grocery shopping with you, do you?"

"Well of course I do! I want you to be there! Why don't you want to come?"

"I dunno, it's just I never really go to the grocery store, if I do I just quickly stop in and grab some ramen and milk… if I need real food I usually just wait until the outdoor marketplace is open."

"What?! That's only open on one day of the week isn't it? Why would we wait that long? Come on, grocery shopping isn't so bad! Pleeeeease! I got out of work early just so we could go!"

Naruto gave her a strained smile.  
"Yeah ok"

"Alright! Let's go!" Sorami grabbed his hand and her saddle bag purse and pulled him out the door.

------------------------  
Naruto heaved a great sigh as the door slid opened and the customary electronic chime went off.  
Sorami bounded in after him happily.  
"Here we are, soooo let's see… what do we need…" Sorami said absently as she wheeled a red cart around and walked towards the center aisle.

"What kind of cereal do you like? I'm a hearty Cheerios gal myself but a nice sugary one is always good on occasion, how about Fruit Loops? I figure it at least gives me the illusion of being healthy with the word "fruit" right up front! Hmm but these ones say that they are "Grrrreat!" can't argue with that can we? What do you think Naruto? …Naruto?"

Naruto was keeping his head down and staring intently at the tile floor, every so often glancing to the side nervously.  
Sorami waved a hand in front of his face.  
"Huh? What?" He said quietly as he glanced up at her.  
"What's up with you? Are you avoiding someone or something?"  
"No, no, it's nothing. Cheerios sound good, get that."

"Okaaay next on the list is... some fruits and veggies! We should get some strawberries, some oranges, ooh some pineapple--"  
Sorami continued to list fruit but Naruto wasn't really listening anymore: instead his attention was drawn to a pair of women standing in their aisle whispering to each other behind their hands and giving him strange looks.  
He lowered his head further and stuffed his hands in his pockets.  
_"I hate coming to the grocery store."_

They entered the meat aisle and Sorami picked up and inspected various products from different angles.

Naruto watched as a woman read her grocery list while pushing a cart with a small child riding in the front basket. He had always been a little jealous of all the normal children who came to the market with their parents.

Sorami linked arms with him.  
"We'll get you some protein so you can be big and strong!" she gave his cheek a pinch.

With that, he decided he didn't feel so jealous today, and he smiled at the child in the cart.  
The infant smiled back and giggled but the mother looked up from her list, humphed, and turned her cart in the opposite direction to get away from him.  
His smile vanished.  
_"I hate the grocery store."_

They reached the bread aisle and Sorami was browsing the shelves when her concentration was broken by a high pitched voice.

"I mean the nerve! To show his face in here! This is a place for good, wholesome, citizens to come and shop! Not some **demon** riff-raff! I should talk to the manager! I mean he's already been banned from a lot of the stores you know---"

Sorami's head shot up in shock and she turned to look at Naruto.  
A shadow covered his eyes, the tips of his ears were blushed, and his hands clenched to fists in his pockets.  
She then searched for the owner of the voice: it was a middle aged woman down the aisle talking to another two who were nodding in agreement.  
The woman was staring rudely and her voice was intentionally loud enough so Naruto could hear.

Sorami's eyes turned to slits: she finally understood the reason why Naruto never came to the grocery store.

She couldn't help but imagine a young Naruto walking into the only market that would accept him to look for what little food he could afford, only to be shunned and ridiculed by ignorant housewives as he ran down the aisle and grabbed the two most convenient foods: ramen and milk.

Her blood boiled, she marched down the aisle and stood in front of the group of women with her hands on her hips.  
"Is there something you would like to say?! If so, I suggest you say it to my face!"  
The middle-aged woman scoffed.  
"As if I'd lower myself to speak to someone who associates with such devil-scum."  
"EXCUSE ME?!"  
Sorami saw red as Naruto jogged up to her and placed his hand on her arm.  
"Sorami-chan it's alright, just ignore them…"  
Sorami turned to him and saw the hurt in his eyes; she realized he had probably been doing the bigger thing by ignoring them his whole life: she had never been more proud... and angry.

"NO! It is not alright! Listen you old hag! You don't even deserve to breathe the same air as this boy! You should feel honored that he would even set foot in the same place as your raggedy ass!"

The woman looked taken aback but pushed on.  
"Ha! Such vulgarity, just what I would expect from the nine tailed fox's whore!"

Naruto let go of Sorami and glared holes into the woman: say what they want about him, but he wouldn't let anyone talk about his friends that way, unfortunately Sorami beat him to it:

"OH HELL NO! YOU'RE JUST A JEALOUS, IGNORANT, BITTER-ASS-BITCH BECAUSE YOU ARE A FORTY-SOMETHING OLDMAID WHO HAS NO REAL FRIENDS AND SPENDS HER NIGHTS SITTING ALONE AT HOME WATCHING TV ON THE COUCH BEFORE CRYING HERSELF TO SLEEP BECAUSE HER LIFE IS SO FUCKING PATHETIC!!!"

Sorami was intentionally hitting the insecurities she knew would hurt the woman most and picked up an item from the woman's cart and threw it at her roughly.

"SO TAKE YOU'RE SAD LITTLE FROZEN DINNERS AND GET OUT OF HERE!!!! JUST KEEP ON BEING A COMPLETE DOUCHE, PUTTING OTHERS DOWN BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR SHITTY LIFE, BUT IF I EVER, **EVER!!!** HEAR YOU SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT THIS AMAZING BOY I WILL FUCKING CUT YOU!!! YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LITTLE CU-mmph!!!"

"Okaaay! I think we're done here! Time to go!"

As soon as Naruto registered the fact that Sorami was now physically threatening the completely fazed shopper, he had restrained her and placed his hand over her mouth.  
All the while Sorami was reaching out towards the woman making violent hand gestures, yelling muffled curses through his hand, and struggling in his grasp to get free and teach the woman a lesson.

Naruto grabbed their cart and made his way to the checkout counter: he dropped Sorami and quickly set the items out and paid for them.

He mumbled apologies to the owner as Sorami continually scanned the area in case her prey was foolish enough to show her face again.

"Don't worry about it kid. If you'd believe it, that's not even close to the worst scene I've witnessed in here. Really, it's alright... I don't blame you."  
The owner smiled warmly at him: he had known Naruto since he was a child and knew what the boy had to deal with.

Sorami smiled at him and thanked him for his understanding; it made her glad that there were a good few in this town who were so kind hearted.

--------------------------------

They walked in silence all the way back to the apartment.  
"Naruto?" Sorami said tentatively as they entered his home and set the grocery bags down.

He sighed and looked at her.  
"You went a little overboard don't ya think? It just makes things worse when you lash out like that… I should know… they probably think even worse of me. And that's the one grocery store I'm really allowed in, what if they had banned me?"

"I know: I know you're mad, and I'm sorry. I must have looked like a madwoman; I didn't mean to make a scene it's just… thinking about what you have been through and how much pain you must have suffered… I don't know! I just **snapped**! I was wishing so hard that I could have been there for you and helped you through all those years but I couldn't so I guess… I figured …maybe if I just destroyed this one, maybe if I protected you this time so fully, everything else would just go away."

Naruto's eyes softened and he sighed again.  
"I'm not mad. I just… hate grocery shopping."

"I wish you had told me, this is all my fault: I forced you to go through that hell and it's another reason I felt I had to do something."

"Sorami-chaaaan don't worry about it! I've been dealing with this my whole life, its nothing new." Naruto smiled at her but it wasn't a true smile.

Sorami held his face in her hands and her eyes moistened.

"No. I can't let it go. You do not deserve this. You are so wonderful. I will never let anyone speak that way to you again. You don't deserve any of it. You deserve so much more. Do you realize that?"

Naruto gave her a half smile and hugged her.

"I'm sorry if it was too much, but I will not stand to see you hurt, I will always protect you my boy."

Naruto nodded and secretly wished she had been here his whole life as well.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kakashi's eyes ached as sunlight filtered through his eyelids. He groaned and his hand lazily came up to rest over them.

_"Judging from the brightness of the light behind my closed eyes and taking in account my curtains filtering it even further I'd say its about seven o' clock, I should get up_."  
Kakashi thought automatically.  
"_But why, what am I doing today? ...Ah my first day of watch duty is today. Oh joy. Well that's so important. I mustn't keep them waiting." _Kakashi then rolled over towards the side of the bed.  
He decided that that was enough effort for the next five minutes.

----------------------------------

At 9:30 Kakashi landed silently on a tree on the road outside of Naruto's apartment.

"You're an hour and a half late Hatake-san" Said a very tired and grumpy looking chuunin.

"Ah well you see there was this caravan of traveling minstrels---"  
"Save it. Have fun for the next; oh how long are our shifts? **14** **hours**." He said sadistically trying to get a rise out of the man.

But Kakashi, being Kakashi, coolly turned it around:  
"Really now? And what did you do to deserve such a wearisome task?" Kakashi asked.

"On a recent mission for a feudal lord I may or may not have set something on fire that may or may not have been pretty expensive and the Hokage had to pay for it. Then there's another guy who's sharing our shifts who accidentally mentioned to one of Tsunade-sama's old debt collectors that she was our new Hokage." The chuunin said exasperatedly.

"Fascinating." Kakashi said dully as he pulled out his book, expecting the man to leave.

Affronted by the man's dismissive behavior the chuunin continued.  
"Yeah so what did the great Kakashi Hatake do to get in the doghouse?"

Kakashi glanced up at him and gave a fake smile beneath his mask.  
"It's just a mission that I accepted: I do whatever it is my Hokage asks of me if she believes it's for the greater good of the village. Plus I like to think of this as sort of a mini vacation, being on such a low maintenance job, you know: sit back, relax, and maybe catch up on some light reading."  
With that Kakashi sat down and rested his back against the tree trunk and spread his legs out in front of him.

The shinobi gave up on trying to rile up the ever unfazed masked man and rolled his eyes.  
"Riiiight. Well just remember this is a mission and just because it's an easy one doesn't give you the right to slack off."

Kakashi found it slightly amusing that this lower level shinobi was giving him advice on how to do his job; he smiled as he flicked to the next page in his little book.

"Will do. Have a nice day."

The other man shook his head and leapt away.  
Kakashi sighed and let his eyes drift around to evaluate his surroundings.  
_"The two others must have gotten complacent; they must be extremely convinced she's just a civilian. This tree's visual only captures the apartments front door, sure they can monitor her movement outside, but if they were really serious about this job they would have taken up position on a rooftop adjacent to the building so they can watch her inside the apartment at all times through the side windows."  
_Kakashi sighed.  
_"I don't care if she's our fugitive or not: every mission you are assigned should be completed as thoroughly as possible." _Just as Kakashi readied himself to take off onto the nearest rooftop he detected movement at the door.

Sorami's slim figure walked out onto the landing. She stretched her arms out with her eyes closed and smiled contentedly it was as if soaking in the morning sun. She then opened her eyes and sheltered them with one hand looking out over the surrounding apartments. She leaned over the railing and watched as two children chased after a ball in the street below.

Kakashi watched as her smile widened and she twirled around to call back something into the still open door of Naruto's apartment.  
"Naruto! Get your butt out here and enjoy this beautiful day with me!"

She laughed at whatever Naruto had responded and it sounded out pure and clear, Kakashi was stumped at how someone could gain so much joy simply by walking out of their front door.  
"Alright be that way, but I've got to head to work! I'll see you tonight kay hon?!"

She turned to head towards the stairs, she hadn't gotten three steps before Naruto came stumbling out, his hair mussed, and his pants loose.  
"WAIT!"

He handed her saddlebag purse to her and gave her a silly grin. She flashed him a brilliant smile and gave him a quick hug.  
"Thanks so much sweetie, see you later!" He nodded and walked back into the apartment trying not to trip over his sagging pants.

Kakashi gave a small smile at how close they had become in such a short time, he mused over Naruto's innate ability to bring people together, but those two just seemed to bond effortlessly. He felt glad there was another person in Naruto's life he could rely on, if anyone deserved it, it was him.

Kakashi observed as Sorami reached the outside of the apartment building and proceeded to join the children's game of kick ball.

He was thoroughly amused as he watched: she seemed to have scored a point and did a victory lap around their constructed playing field. The children dissolved into fits of laughter watching a grown-up acting so funny.

She then stopped abruptly, looked up at the sky, made a face, and started to run.

"Sorry guys! Gotta run! I'm going to be late for work! Oh I'm your new neighbor Sorami by the way!"  
The two young boys laughed.  
"Okay! Bye Sorami! Nice meeting you!" The shorted one said, waving enthusiastically.

"Yeah it was fun!" The older one nodded and leaned on top of his brother's head.  
Sorami laughed and ran backwards to look back at them.

"It was! Next time we'll have a real game! Catch ya later!" She waved back and spun around to keep running.  
The boys laughed and went back to their game.

Kakashi continued to follow her and he reflected on how she seemed so free spirited and carefree, like a child trapped in an adult body: he didn't know whether to admire her for her enthusiasm or write her off as immature.

While he easily leapt across rooftops to keep up with her, Sorami was having difficulty maneuvering through the bustling streets of Konoha. He chuckled as he watched her knock over a cart of chickens and chase them around the bustling marketplace.

"Gomen! …Gomen! ….Goooomen!" she yelled as she collected flapping chickens off of numerous passersby.  
She plucked the last one off of the fuming chicken farmer's hat.  
"Oh look an egg!" She exclaimed and smiled as she held it out to the man who just growled.  
"Eh-hehe... uuuuh…. Gomen!" She bowed: sincerely apologetic.  
He huffed.  
"Tch. At least you stuck around to collect them all."  
"Sorry again!" She waved and kept running.  
Kakashi wasn't sure but he thought he heard her grumble something along the lines of  
"Always chickens."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They made their way across town and Sorami skidded into a small café.  
"I'M HERE!"  
Kakashi looked on from the rooftop across the street as she leaned on her knees and panted.  
All the occupants of the café looked at her dubiously.  
Kakashi chuckled, out of context she must have been a sight: her hair was ruffled, her clothes askew, and she had feathers sticking out all over her body.  
"So what?" asked a girl with her hair in a bandana: she placed her hand on her hip and balanced a tray in the other while giving her coworker an amused look.  
"Am I late Mina?" Sorami looked up and asked, still out of breath.  
"Uhh no you still have like 4 minutes left." Mina said trying to hold back laughter.

"Oh well in that case…" Sorami straightened up, ran a hand through her hair, and walked towards the backroom proudly. She was acting as though she didn't look ridiculous and hadn't caused a huge scene.

Kakashi smiled under his mask and decided that this job was going to be a lot more entertaining than he thought.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah not the most amazing chapter in life but cut me some slack! I gotta build up to the good stuff ;)  
So yeah the reason I haven't been updating like... at all... is because of one word: LIFE.  
Life has been kinda NUTS lately for me because:  
1. School  
2. Job (1st ever!)  
3. Friends  
4. Drama  
5. Partying (Which actually takes up a lot more time than you'd think.)  
So yeah, okay, the last one is a little selfish but hey... girls just wanna have fun. That's all they really want.

But just so you know: I am going to finish this story! I swear! I will not give up! I have started something and I will finish it!  
It's just I have a life so it might take a little longer than expected. XP Hopefully you guys will stick with me cuz I love ya to death, honest... ESPECIALLY IF YOU REVIEW! Ye-he-ya! That is always hella motivating! Much love!!!


	20. I Should Know Better

**A/N:**KakaSora chapter coming your way. I'll try to update soon guys! Read and review please! Tell me what you think of the Sorami-Kakashi relationship development.

* * *

Kakashi's observations on Sorami so far showed nothing out of the ordinary… well mostly.  
He had to admit she was quite a character to watch: he would find the smallest quirks about her amusing.

It was nearing 4 o'clock and the shop was nearly empty, Sorami only had one table with two women and a small child.

"Aww! Well hello there! And what's your name?" Sorami cooed to the small boy, he turned his head away quickly.

"You'll have to excuse him, he's a little shy. Isn't that right Kenji-kuuuun" The first woman replied.

"He is such a sweetheart sis you are so lucky" remarked the other woman.  
Sorami then took their drink orders and went to retrieve them.

When she returned the two women were in animated discussion, Sorami gave a warm smile to the young Kenji; he scrunched up his eyebrows and stuck out his tongue at her.

Sorami gaped at him.  
_"Sweetheart my butt! This kid is a brat!"_

She gave a quick glance to the two women who paid no heed; she then crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out back at him.

They proceeded to go back and forth making hideous faces at each other until the mother turned her head. Sorami's face quickly changed into a smile.

"And what will you be having to eat today ma'am?"

Kenji, upset by being "outfaced," started to tug on his mother's jacket ready to tattle.  
"I'll have the-"  
"Mommy! Mommy! That lady-!"  
"Hush Kenji! It's rude to interrupt!"

While she finished her order the boy pouted but kept his mouth shut, Sorami gave him what appeared to be a kind smile but he knew she was gloating.

When the meal was done and the adults turned to leave Sorami shot one more raspberry at the child.  
"MOMMY!" The boy started to shriek and wriggle  
"Kenji! Do not be so shrill!"

Sorami floated around the store for the rest of her shift, Kakashi chuckled at how much pride she took in her victory over the 4 year old.

At around 8:30 Sorami and Mina began to close up shop. Sorami was in the back room doing dishes with her large stereo on. She was starting to get bored when suddenly she jumped up and turned the volume to the highest setting.

**(S/L:** Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers - Why do Fools fall in Love)

She grabbed the ladle she had been washing and started lip syncing to the song.  
_"Ooh-wa-ooh-wa-oo-ooh-wa-ooh-wa-oo-ooh-wa-ooh-wa!  
Why do foo-ools fall in love?  
_She swung her hips and spread her arm across the kitchen._  
__Why do birds siiing so gay?_  
Mina walked in with a tray of dishes and watched the spectacle._  
And lovers await the break of the day  
Why do they fall in lo-ove?  
Whyyy does the rain, fall from up above?  
_Sorami made a trickling motion with her hands down her front and then shrugged._  
Why do fools, fall in love?  
Why do they fall in lo-oove?  
_Mrs. Kato walked into the room and rolled her eyes, she and Mina leaned on the door frame as Sorami passionately serenaded them and shimmied and shook around the kitchen._  
Love is a lo-sing game  
And love can be a shame  
_Sorami got on her knees dramatically in front of Mrs. Kato and leaned back_  
I know, of a fool you see  
_She grabbed at her heart._  
For  
that  
fool is me!  
Tell me whyyyyyyyyyyy  
Tell me whyyyy_

A lively saxophone solo came up and Sorami got up and grasped Mrs. Kato and began to swing dance.  
"Unhand me woman!"

Mrs. Kato protested and swatted her until Mina cut in and started dancing with Sorami. They spun around and did the twist .

Mina broke away from Sorami in a fit of laughter.

_Why does my heaaart  
Skip a crazy beat?  
_Sorami did thumping motions on her chest._  
For I know:  
It  
will  
reach  
de-feat!  
Tell me whyyyyyyyy  
Tell me why  
Whyyyy  
do fools  
fall in loooooooooooooove?"  
_Sorami slid across the floor to land in front of Mrs. Kato and Mina.  
Mina erupted into applause and the three laughed._  
__  
_ Kakashi's felt he should have paid to see that, she was quite the dancer. Sorami made everything she did look fun effortlessly; when he thought back, Kakashi couldn't remember the last time he had done anything truly fun.  
He immediately dismissed the thought as utterly pointless, he shook his head and sighed: her foolishness must have been contagious.

* * *

It was nearing ten o'clock when Kakashi watched Sorami unlock the apartment door and step in.  
She looked around for a moment searching for something; she walked quietly to the back room and found Naruto passed out on his bed.

_"He must have been exhausted, he didn't even change or put his covers on"_  
Half of his body was dangling off the edge of his bed.  
Sorami gently lifted his limbs and placed them back on the mattress; she then grabbed a blanket and settled it over him.

She stood above him and noticed one of his unruly spikes was covering his face, she softly brushed it away to see his peaceful countenance. She smiled and went to lie on her own makeshift bedding.

Kakashi had never seen someone act so _gentle_ with the rebellious boy.  
He watched her start to drift asleep and felt completely at peace just watching over her as she slept-  
"Hatake-san your shift is up"

Kakashi closed his eyes.  
"Aa."

* * *

Naruto stood at the village gates.  
He seemed to be doing a very convincing impression of a puppy waiting for its master to come home: pouting impatiently and staring out at nothing.  
He would sit, pick at some grass, stand, pace, stare at the horizon, lean on the wall, sit, pick at some grass... and so on.

The guards at the gates were getting tired of this routine and were about to tell him to take it on the road when, once again reminiscent of a puppy, Naruto suddenly perked up.  
A bark was heard in the distance and five tiny figures that were team eight were walking down the road towards him.

Naruto leapt up and smiled hugely as he ran at the group.  
"HINATA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"  
"N-naruto-kun?" Hinata glanced up to see him charging towards them.  
"Huh? What does that idiot want Hinata?" Kiba asked amusedly.  
_"Oh fudge."  
_  
Hinata hadn't quite worked up the nerve to tell her team the news about her new relationship, but now that news was barreling at them at high speeds.

"HINATA!"  
When Naruto finally reached his target he scooped her up onto his arms and immediately landed a fierce kiss on her lips.

_"Well he finally realized, what an intriguing turn of events…"_ Shino thought as he turned away from the spectacle and pushed up his dark glasses.

_"Go Hinata."_ Kurenai smiled openly at the long-awaited display of Naruto's reciprocated affection.

"WHAT THE HELL! GET OFF HER YOU FREAK!" Kiba shrieked and punched Naruto on the skull while Akamaru bit the leg of Naruto's pants and tugged it wildly back and forth.

"What the heck was that for INUZUKA?"  
"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing UZUMAKI?"  
"What's so wrong with kissing my girlfriend when I've missed her for two days INUZUKA?"  
"What do you mean girlfriend UZUMAKI!"  
"What does it sound like INUZUKA?"

Kiba paused for a moment to take in this new information then smirked.  
"Well what took you so long to figure out she liked you UZUMAKI?"  
"Well…! I…!What…! Darn it I can't think of a question to answer that with."  
"HA!"  
Naruto crossed his arms and huffed.

"Seriously though, you guys are going out? Since when!"

Naruto froze.  
_"Her team didn't know. Hinata didn't tell them. We are supposed to be low key about it because of her dad! What if this is supposed to be a secret from everybody! I just blew it by swapping spit right in front of them! Oh god I'm such an idiot!"_

Coming to her senses after Naruto's shocking lip lock, Hinata noticed Naruto's unease.  
She placed her hand on his arm comfortingly.  
"Naruto-kun, I'm sorry. I-I didn't get a chance to tell them a-about... um ...us." She blushed looking away from him.  
"I w-was going to tell you all I promise."

"It's alright Hinata, it's perfectly understandable keeping your private life, well private"  
Kurenai absently stroked her slightly growing abdomen.

"B-but y-you are like family to me and I want you to approve of my important decisions."  
Her teammates smiled at her and Naruto blushed deeply at being labeled "important."

"As long as you're happy Hinata, we support you."  
Kurenai wrapped her arm around her in a half hug.

"Yeah Hinata, you shouldn't even worry about telling us things like this!" Kiba commented.

"H-hai!" Hinata smiled and she and Kurenai started to walk.

Naruto was about to go after them when his collar was tugged back, Kiba and Shino stood over him menacingly.  
"Listen Uzumaki, you may be annoying but I have to admit: you're an okay guy! So this is cool for right now but the second I hear anything wrong you're **dead meat, **right Akamaru?"  
The protective companion reinforced Kiba's sentiments by growling and snapping his razor sharp jaws.  
"Got it?"

Naruto recoiled slightly but didn't back down, he broke free of Kiba's grasp on the back of his jacket.  
"You don't need to worry about that from me, I'd never do anything to hurt Hinata-chan."

"Good." Kiba said seeming satisfied, he started to jog to Hinata and Kurenai.

That left Naruto standing alone... in the quiet... with Shino staring at him threateningly behind dark glasses.  
Naruto gulped uneasily.  
"Did you know Naruto that there are some species of parasites that can eat away at a corpse so that no remains are found? All evidence destroyed."  
Naruto's eyes widened as Shino walked away casually.

Naruto shook his head and caught up with Hinata.  
"Soooo do you have any plans for today Hinata?" He asked hopefully.  
"W-well umm we sort of planned to do some c-combat training after we got back b-because we didn't really utilize any on our mission."

"Oh... well I guess I'll let you guys get to it then... I have training in a little while too anyway" Naruto responded, downcast.

Kurenai raised a hand.  
"Wait, Naruto why don't you ask your team for a joint training session with us? I'm sure it would do us some good to practice on new opponents. Don't you think guys?"

Shino nodded,  
"Not knowing the oppositions techniques better simulates real combat."

"Yeah and I'll take any opportunity to kick Naruto's butt!"  
"Psh! Like you could! I'll bet anything I could-"

While Naruto and Kiba continued to bicker Hinata smiled appreciatively.  
"Thank you Kurenai-sensei" She whispered to her team leader.  
Kurenai gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"It is important to spend as much time with the ones we love as we can..." She responded sadly and gave Hinata a sympathetic smile.

The younger kuniochi understood her teachers personal sentiments and gazed lovingly upon the man she adored as he immaturely wrestled her teammate to the ground.

* * *

"YOU"RE LATE SENSEI!" Naruto and Sakura sounded off as per usual.

"Are you sure? I could have sworn you said 12:00... Anyway now that we're all here, and we have the honor of training with team eight, we should pair off with different team members. Sai, you go with Kiba, Naruto you will be facing Shino, Sakura with Hinata and naturally Kurenai and I will-"

Kurenai interrupted before he could finish.  
"Sorry Kakashi, but you won't be leading training for today. Sakura."

"Huh?" Sakura looked up, confused at being addressed so suddenly.

"Kakashi tells me you are a genjutsu type, I'd like to see if that's true. You'll be training with me today."

"Umm yeah! Sure! That sounds great!" Sakura said excitedly.  
_"Score! A genjutsu master actually wants to train me!"_

"Yeah Kakashi-sensei, me n' Kiba already have a challenge set anyway." Naruto said smugly.

"True. Hinata you will be facing Sai and Kakashi you will face Shino. Begin!" Kurenai commanded and everyone leapt to their training fields.

Kakashi sighed dejectedly at being ignored and bossed around.  
"No respect."

"Perhaps if you arrived on time, you would have had the authority to assign partners" Shino said from behind him.

"And perhaps you should have noticed Kurenai said "begin" Kakashi replied from behind his back with a kunai at his neck. His shadow clone disappeared and they began to battle.

* * *

The fights were just winding down when a shout was heard in the distance.

"Naruto!"

"Huh?" Naruto turned to look at who was calling him as Kiba's fist collided with his cheek.  
"Ouch! Cheap shot Inuzuka! I wasn't paying attention!"  
Kiba shrugged.  
"Not my fault."

"Hey!" A cheerful, out of breath voice sounded.

All of the pairs training stopped and looked at the newcomer who was running and waving at them.

Naruto glanced up and beamed.  
"Sorami-chan! Hey! What are you doing here?"

Sorami finally reached them.  
"Well I got home from work and I remembered how you were in such a hurry this morning that you didn't eat breakfast, so I decided to pack you a lunch and see how training was going!"  
She lifted up a brown paper bag and dropped it into his hands.

Kiba started laughing.  
"A sack lunch? What are you, five? Haha and who is this Uzumaki? Your mommy?"  
Naruto was too excited to receive the food to even respond, he just smiled hugely as he ate.

Sorami however wasn't as distracted.  
"What did you say?" She proceeded too grab the sides of his cheeks and pull them away from his face.

"Ahhh! Hey! Ow! Leggo!"

"No one mocks Naruto!" She stretched his face further and Naruto crossed his arms and snickered.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! Please!"

Sorami released his cheeks.  
"Better."

"Geez lady what's your deal?"

"Oh don't cry" Sorami rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Kiba looked back and forth between Naruto and Sorami.  
"...**Is** she related to you? You two seem to act alike." He asked, rubbing his cheek.

She smiled at his comment.  
"I'm Sorami, Naruto's roommate." She stuck her hand out congenially.

"Eh? Oh uhh Inuzuka Kiba." He took her hand uncertainly because of her swift change in disposition.  
"Nice to meet you. Aww a puppy!" Sorami then proceeded to cuddle the massive ninja canine.

Kiba sweat dropped.  
_"She considers __**Akamaru**__ a __**puppy**__?"_

"Hey Sorami!" Sakura walked up to the group along with the rest of the combatants.

"Oh Sakura! And Sai! And Hinata! ...Kakashi... Umm wow! I didn't know Naruto was training with so many people, I would have made more food!"

"Don't worry about it Sorami-chan! Oh by the way this is Kurenai-sensei and this is Aburame Shino." Naruto motioned to them.

"Hi: Sorami." She shook both of their hands.  
"Well I didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to drop in and say hello. Sooooo I should let you get back to it."

"Actually, you're right on time: I've got to go file a report on our latest mission anyway so I'll be leaving." Kurenai sighed.  
"Sakura, you've got some real potential. We should do this again sometime. Ja everyone." With that she disappeared in wisps of air.

"Wow, she's hot."  
Jaws dropped and everyone stared at Sorami.

"What? Can't one woman comment on the mystique and attractiveness of another woman?"

There was an awkward silence until Shino coughed.  
"I suppose training is over for the day..." he disappeared in a cloud of insects.

"That was ...kinda creepy...yet kinda cool. Mostly creepy." Sorami concluded.

"Yeah you never really get used to the whole bug thing... well I gotta get home it was uh ...nice meeting you. See ya guys! By the way Naruto, I totally won our spar!" Kiba yelled as he rode Akamaru away.

"You did not! Anyway I was going easy on you!" Naruto shouted back.

Hinata giggled and Naruto's attention was immediately drawn back to her.

"Hey! Training's done early! You want to go do something now that we have time Hinata-chan?" He grabbed her hand excitedly.  
Hinata smiled and nodded.  
"Mmhmm!"  
"Yes! Let's go! Later guys!" He shouted as he dragged her off.  
"B-but w-where are w-we going Naruto-kun?"  
"Dunno! But we'll end up somewhere!" Naruto shouted as they disappeared around the corner.

Sakura groaned.  
"I swear that boy is going to be the death of her."

"At least she'll die happy." Sorami giggled but then sighed.  
"I was hoping if Naruto got off training we could hang out, I still haven't seen most of Konoha yet, he was supposed to show me around some more but we never seem to get the chance... "  
She perked up again.  
"Sakura! What are you doing right now? You want to join me? Show me all of Konoha's hot spots!"

Sakura was about to respond that she would, definitely, if she hadn't already made plans with Ino, when an idea struck her:  
she noticed that the only members of the group left were herself, Sai and... Kakashi.

_"Sorami I know you are interested in Kakashi-sensei! You're not the only one who can play matchmaker in this town!"_  
"You **know** I would just **love** to Sorami, but aww you see Sai-kun and I already have plans right now!"

Sorami bubbled with excitement at the idea of Sakura taking her advice and taking an interest in Sai.

"Plans? I've made no plans." Sai stated.

"Ha-ha! He's kidding of course!" Sakura laughed awkwardly and waved off his comment.

"I do not "kid." I don't recall making any pl-"  
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura interrupted quickly.

"Hmm?" Kakashi had completely zoned out of the conversation and had been fully immersed in his book since somebody had uttered the magic words "training is over."

"Since both Sai and I are busy **you** should show Sorami around! Give her a nice tour of the village! Just you and Sorami, it'll be sweet."

Sorami's smile vanished and warning lights started flashing off in her head.  
_"Oh she does not give up! I can't believe her!"_

"Oh don't be silly Sakura! I'm sure Kakashi has a lot of very important things to do! I wouldn't want to keep him."

Sakura and Sorami exchanged meaningful stares.  
_"Sorry Sakura __**dear**__, your plot is foiled again!"  
"Just give in Sorami! I'll win in the end!"_

"Actually, I'm pretty much free today, I'd be happy to escort you. Knowing your way around the village is very important, we wouldn't want you getting lost now would we?"

Sorami froze and turned a bright shade of crimson.  
Sakura jumped up and did a victory sign.

"I-I-" Sorami fumbled for an excuse.

"Well that's settled! You know a great place to start would be that awesome barbecue place Kakashi-sensei! Sai and I will just be going then! Have fun you two!"

Sakura started pulling Sai away.  
"Where are you taking me? I have not planned to go with you. We did not make plans. It seems you are not only ugly but you are also delusional."

A shout of "BAKA!" and a large thud was all that was heard before they were out of sight completely.

Sorami smiled at their "playful" banter.  
_"More like "harmful" banter but hey, who am I to judge?"_

"Shall we?" Kakashi smiled and held the crook of his arm out.  
Sorami stared at it for a second with a light blush and then gingerly placed her arm in his and they began to walk.

* * *

Sorami glanced to the side to see his profile as they walked down a dirt road towards town.

_"Why am I always so nervous around you? That's not like me! I'm usually the one that has men on the ropes! What's so great about you anyway? Sure you're charming, chivalrous, mysterious, funny, clever, brave, caring, you have a great body and probably an insanely handsome face behind that mask and you have the most delicious voice I've ever heard... hmm... damn it! I've handled cute men before! Get it together woman! Say something smart!"  
_  
"So um... we haven't seen each other since I got here."  
_"...way to state the obvious."_

"Hmm? So we haven't. I suppose we have both been busy." Kakashi replied lightly.  
_"It feels strange lying to her like this. Technically I __**have**__ seen her, I've been watching her for a while now... odd, surveillance has never sounded so stalker-like before... why would I even think of it as stalking with her? Just because I'm speaking with her on a personal level? It's not stalking, it's surveillance. I was ordered to do it. I shouldn't feel so strangely about this."_

"Yeah I guess I have been. I got a job, did Naruto tell you? I'm waitressing down at this restaurant called the Kato cafe, I like it a lot, the place is really fantastic."

_"Yes I did know and I know you have two coworkers Eti and Mina Kato and you like listening to music and dancing while you do the dishes and when you're carrying a tray of food and your bangs get in the way you always try to blow them out of your face even though it never really works... I know all of this yet I'm __**not**__ a stalker. Nope."_  
"Sounds nice, maybe I'll visit you at work sometime."

Sorami blushed deeply.  
"I-um yeah. That would be nice."

"So how do you like the village so far?" Kakashi asked pleasantly.

"Well I haven't seen a lot of it but so far it's great! Most of the people here are pretty friendly, I feel very welcomed. I mean it's a pretty big village and yet there is still this strong sense of community, its amazing. And... just the village itself... it's... beautiful. Everything: the architecture, the colors, the lush greenery, and the faces in the mountain are just astounding! It's a work of art, it must have taken such effort and dedication to carve the entire mountainside in such detail. The village incorporates the natural environment into its structure and ambiance flawlessly instead of developing over it like most villages... I'm sorry I'm rambling. It's lovely, I like it." Sorami laughed.

"Well I'm glad you like it, as Shinobi we have a deep love, dedication, and connection to our village: when you complement the village it is almost as if you are complementing me as well."

Sorami looked up at him and smiled.  
"I do like the village, very much so."  
Kakashi smiled back.

"So I recognize Lady Tsunade's face in the mountain, from what I've heard they're all the faces of the Hokage of the leaf."

"Aa. Tsunade's addition was just finished recently. The one next to her was the the Yondaime. He was my sensei when I was young."

"Really? Wow. Were you two very close?"

They continued to discuss the history of the village and Kakashi's experiences with the Hokages throughout his lifetime.

* * *

Kakashi graciously opened the door for Sorami and she blushed and stepped in.

"Hi welcome to- Kakashi-san! Hello! How are you today? We haven't seen you here in a while! Where have you been hiding? We've missed you. I've missed you the most though." The hostess at the barbecue restaurant flirted shamelessly and Sorami rolled her eyes.  
"Sakura and Naruto not with you today? You know I get off for my break pretty soon, I could probably join you if you feel a little **lonely**" She winked.

_"Why is it that restaurant workers always act this way around me?"_ Kakashi thought confused.  
"Ah no that won't be necessary thank you. Just a table for two."

"Two?" The hostess looked behind Kakashi and Sorami waved sarcastically.

"Right this way." The annoyed worker ground out.  
She glared at Sorami as she walked them to their table and as they sat down she placed a menu in front of Kakashi before tossing one at Sorami.

When she left Sorami laughed.  
"Well, well, aren't you popular?" Sorami teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Kakashi didn't look up from the menu.

"Oh please! You can't seriously tell me you didn't notice her flirting with you!" Sorami laughed.  
"Was she now?"

The hostess came back and addressed Kakashi.  
"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Just some iced tea for me thanks"

"And I'll have a-"

"Coming right up Kakashi-saaan!"  
She walked away and Sorami's eyebrow twitched.

"And how do you explain that huh Kakashi?" Sorami smirked.

"Well she was obviously in a hurry."

"In a hurry to fulfill your **every** desire." Sorami said dramatically.  
This time Kakashi looked up from his menu and raised an eyebrow.

"Here you go Kakashi-san! And what can I get for you today?" the waitress asked as she placed his drink in front of him.

"I'll have the usual and an extra side of chicken."

"Of course! Thank you sooo much."  
As he handed her the menu she placed her hand atop his and then walked away.

**WHAM!**  
Something hit her in the back of the head.

"Whoops! You forgot **my** menu!" Sorami said innocently.

"Hmph!"  
The woman scooped up the projectile menu and walked away.

Kakashi laughed and while he was distracted Sorami snatched his iced tea.

"I think you're confused. That's my drink Sorami." Kakashi attempted to reach for his glass.

"Nope! It's your fault I didn't get a drink so I'm taking yours!" She teased as she dodged his hand.

The waitress came back and as she set the plates and food down, she let something fall into Kakashi's lap and winked at him before she left.

"What was that?" Sorami laughed.

"Nothing." Kakashi crumpled up a small piece of paper and tossed it to the side.

"Come on let me see!" Sorami walked over to him and they fought over it until Sorami finally grasped it.

She sat next to him in the booth as she unrolled the piece of paper and laughed.  
"Ooh its her number! That's strange that she would give it to you, ya know since she **hasn't** been flirting with you all this time!"

"Alright, so she was flirting a little."

"You should **definately** call her. " Sorami said sarcastically.

"You don't sound like you want me to call her. You sound a little jealous." Kakashi teased lightly.

"W-what?" Sorami blushed and then coughed a little.  
"Me? Jealous? Ch! Pfft! Right! Why would **I** want that slutty waitress's number?"

Kakashi laughed as he placed the meats and vegetables on the barbecue to grill.  
"I ordered this chicken for you, I hope you don't mind. We can share everything else."

"Thank you. You know other than the service, this place is pretty nice."

"Yeah they just remodeled... they remodel often actually."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Well this place is pretty popular among the ninja of our village and, well, sometimes the younger ninja get a little rowdy and things tend to break or explode."

Sorami laughed  
"Ahh I see. Hmm I'm sure its no one we know! Of course not!" Sorami could already imagine Sakura punching Naruto through a wall in this very booth.

Kakashi served Sorami some meat and vegetables.

"Mmmm! I can see why the ninja like it so much, this is fantastic!"  
As Sorami popped another piece into her mouth a thought crossed her mind: how does Kakashi eat with his mask on?  
_"It's impossible. That means-!"  
_  
Sorami watched carefully as he served himself and was on edge as she watched him reach towards his mask.

**CRASH!**  
Kakashi turned towards the noise, forgetting his food.  
Sorami smacked her head on the table then looked angrily towards the distraction.

"LEE! SIT DOWN YOU'RE CAUSING A SCENE!" A young girl with two buns in her hair grabbed a green boy by the neck.

"Not until Neji, my eternal rival, accepts my most daring barbecue eating challenge!"  
"No."  
"But Neji-kun we must prove that we are-!"  
"No."  
"Whaaa! Why must you interrupt me so-!"  
"No."  
"Lee! Everyones staring! Please! Sit!"  
Lee glanced around the room to verify the truth of Tenten's words when his gaze landed upon Sorami and Kakashi.

"Ahh! It is the worthy rival of our very own Gai-sensei!" Lee ran over to their table.  
Kakashi sweatdropped.

"Lee! Get back here!" Tenten followed

"Kakashi-sensei! Leader of the formidable team seven! What are you doing here this fine day?"

"Well I was just grabbing a bite to eat with my friend here." Lee's gaze shifted to Sorami.

"Uh hi!" Sorami smiled and waved awkwardly.  
_"What a funny looking young man!"_

Lee's famous round blush rose to his cheeks and he kneeled in front of Sorami and took her hand.  
"A most stunning guest you have Kakashi! Her beauty pales to no one except my fair and most wondrous Sakura-chan!"

"Ooh I like him!" Sorami pretended to whisper to Kakashi behind her other hand.

"I am Rock Lee! The fierce green beast of Konoha! May I please have the honor of receiving your name miss?"

Sorami giggled and Kakashi rolled his eyes.  
"Of course you may, I am Sorami!"

"Ahh Sorami: meaning "beautiful sky!" Your name does you justice! For you are just as lovely as the setting sun or the sparkling night!"

"I **really** like this kid!" Sorami looked at Kakashi in amazement Kakashi stared blankly ahead.

"Lee, really we should let them get back to their meal..." Tenten said as she glanced around to still see half of the restaurant staring at them.

"My rudeness knows no ends! Fair Sorami-chan, this is my immaculate teammate Tenten!" He pulled her arm out roughly, throwing her off balance and Sorami shook her hand.  
"Hi."  
"Nice to meet you" Tenten smiled sweetly as she tried to stand.

Neji walked up to them.  
"Tenten, just come back to the table. You and I will have a nice meal together while Lee makes a fool of himself."

"This! Sorami-chan, is my most honorable rival Hyuga Neji!" Lee announced with fire in his eyes.

"Neji? Oh hi! You must be Hinata's cousin! Naruto has told me about you! I'm Sorami!"

Neji nodded respectfully to her.  
"Hinata-sama speaks highly of you. It is nice to finally make your acquaintance but we should be returning to our original table."

Kakashi inwardly urged them to leave.  
_"Hurry and go please before-"_

"**KAKASHI!** My rival for all eternity! HA-HA! What kind of strange twist of fate has brought us here together on this day?"  
_"Too late."_ Kakashi hung his head down.

"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee exclaimed joyously.  
"Please join us Gai-sensei! You must meet Kakashi's acquaintance: the angel from the sky, Sorami-chan!"

"Hmmmmmmmm?" Gai looked over at the seat next to Kakashi to see a woman staring at him with confusion.

_"Wow! They're like twins! Are they even related?" _Sorami thought in wonder.

"Hey there! I am Might Gai! And may I just say that my ambitious young student speaks only the truth! You are a true vision my lay-day!" Gai then did one of his trademark sparkling smiles and gave her a thumbs up.

Sorami spoke behind her hand to Kakashi again and pointed to Gai "discretely."  
"It's kind of creepy in the older version!"  
Kakashi smiled hugely behind his mask and tried to hide his laughter with a cough.

Both Lee and Gai hung they're heads in shame.  
"Gai-sensei, she has rejected your most charming advance."

Gai rebounded quickly however.  
"ALRIGHT KAKASHI! You've won this round! I concede! We will all eat together in celebration of your victory and I offer to pay for your meal as congratulations!"

Kakashi frowned.  
"No. Really. Don't. I-"

The members of team Gai piled into their booth.

Sorami laughed and Kakashi resigned himself to being doomed.

"WHA! Gai-sensei has taught us a valuable lesson! I can feel it! You must never be a sore loser and respectful acceptance of defeat is necessary for a healthy rivalry!"  
"How right you are my young friend!" Gai exclaimed.  
"Is this kid not the greatest or what eh Sorami?" Gai nudged her with his elbow repeatedly.

"Uhh... you seem ...how should I put this... "

Both Gai and Lee listened intently as she spoke._  
"Well I can't exactly say that I think he's a little crazy and overly enthusiastic but terribly sweet and innocent umm..."  
_  
"...full of... youthful energy?"

Sorami said uncertainly: she didn't even know if her answer made sense.

"Oh god no." Kakashi said aloud.  
Both Neji and Tenten smacked their heads on the table: Sorami looked at them questioningly, puzzled by their reaction, until she turned around.

She found both Gai and Lee directly in front of her face crying their eyes out. Sorami leaned away from them and sweat dropped hugely.

"T-that! Is the most beautiful thing a-anyone has every said to meeeee!" Lee cried.

"In the mere moments you have known us you have captured our hearts!" Gai announced wetly.

They both hugged Sorami and a sunset appeared behind them.  
"Oh Gai-sensei our bonds of friendship are so beautiful!" Lee cried even harder.  
"I know Lee! I know!"

Gai jumped out of his seat and held his hand out to his favorite student.  
"Let us celebrate our new found friendship with an invigorating ten mile jog! Waddaya say Lee?"

"A most excellent idea sensei!" With that they ran out of the restaurant.

Tenten sighed heavily.  
"They didn't even eat."

"As I suggested before Tenten I believe it would be best if perhaps you and I just continue our meal together at our original table." Neji said evenly.

"Yeah you're right."

"My apologies for intruding on your meal, our teammates can be quite..." Neji struggled to find the word.

"rambunctious." Tenten finished for him.

"Aa."

Sorami laughed "No worries, they were very entertaining to say the least. It was very nice to meet you all."  
Tenten and Neji bowed and made their way back to their booth.

"Well aren't they cute together" Sorami said as she watched Neji and Tenten walk away.

"Lee and Gai? Yeah adorable." Kakashi remarked slyly.

Sorami laughed and hit his arm lightly.  
"No! Neji and Tenten!"

"They aren't together you know."

"Seriously? Well they won't be apart for long, I can tell you that."

"Oh? You're so sure? You only just met them."

"Yep! I have a sense about these things. I mean just the way they interacted: Gai and Lee would be in their own little world and Tenten and Neji would be in theirs. They are so comfortable with each other and they were even finishing each others sentences. Did you also notice how insistent Neji was that they go back to the table and eat ...alone...together. He wanted to spend more time with her even though he probably spends everyday with her. It's sweet."

Sorami looked over her shoulder to see Tenten talking excitedly and Neji listening with his eyes closed, smiling.  
"Look! Look at that! Naruto told me he **never**smiles!" Sorami said excitedly.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as she watched them.

"That's how I know! He's so happy with her and she's so happy with him. He's a hardened ninja who's trained himself to never show true emotion yet there he is letting down his defenses and smiling genuinely at her even though she's not really doing anything!"

Kakashi's smile faded slightly.

"Hey! When did you eat you're food!"  
He snapped out of it.

Sorami was staring wide eyed at the now spotless plate in front of him.  
"Oh, I don't know, around the time Gai got here I guess. Ha, I suppose I'm a fast eater."

"You can say that again." She grumbled before finishing her own meal.

* * *

The pair exited the restaurant and walked into the brisk night air.  
"Well that was the most... **interesting** meal I've had in a while" Sorami giggled.

"Yeah things are always a hoot when Gai and Lee are involved." Kakashi said dryly.

"They are quite the pair. I never thought I'd live to see two men wearing matching green jumpsuits. So you and Gai are "eternal rivals" eh?" Sorami nudged him in the ribs.

"Hardly. Gai just has this crazy fixation with competing with me. I generally don't even realize we're competing before he announces the winner. He just ropes me into these games and I don't even know it." Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Oh come on, I bet you secretly enjoy your little competitions!"  
"The man is insane."  
"And you love it!"  
"There's no reasoning with you is there?" Kakashi said amusedly.  
"Nope!" Sorami grinned back.

They continued to walk down the road and Kakashi pointed out various buildings and their functions.

"Oooh whats that one? It's amazing!" Sorami pointed at a building that was actually wrapping around a giant tree, spiraling upwards and ending in the high canopy.

"That, is actually the village's museum."  
"Oh that's so neat! I'd love to visit it sometime! It looks amazing!"  
"They're closed right now but I'm sure you'll get the chance to visit it soon."

Sorami closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Will you take me?"  
"Hmm?" Kakashi looked at her puzzled.  
"Will you take me sometime... to the museum, I mean." Sorami looked down at her feet.

_"Is she asking me out... on a date? ...That's... against protocol. She's a suspect in an impending case. I just took her for some sight seeing...with the dinner she must have gotten the wrong impression..."_  
"Oh... uh... well I have a lot going on at the moment... I mean-"

"Right! Right. Yeah, o-of course. Oh look! Ha! I know where we are! We're just a few blocks away from Naruto's apartment! Well thanks for the food Kakashi! See ya around!" Sorami said in a cheerful tone before running down the street.

"Wait I-" Kakashi raised his hand to stop her but then sighed as she disappeared around the corner.

_"How could I let myself lead her on like that? It's completely unlike me. I guess I'll apologize the next time I see her... What's going on with me lately?"_

* * *

Sorami slammed the apartment door.  
She sat down at the small table in the dark and placed her head in her hands.  
"How could I have been so stupid?"  
_  
"How could I let myself slip like that! I'm always in control but when I'm around him I turn into this gushing little stupid thing! Darn that Sakura! No. It's not her fault. She's not the one who got carried away, I did. This is my mess; I can't believe I let myself think he was actually interested in me! Ugg! We were just hanging out as friends and I had to go and ruin it all. I'm such an idiot!" _Sorami slid her hands through her hair in frustration.

"Sorami-chan?"  
Surprised, she looked up to find Naruto standing in the doorway rubbing his eyes tiredly.  
"What's wrong?" he yawned.

Sorami's eyes softened and she let her hands fall to her sides.  
"Nothing sweetie, sorry if I woke you. I didn't mean to shut the door so loudly."

"Nah, don't worry about it, I wasn't even asleep yet. You sure everything's okay?"

Sorami smiled convincingly and walked over to him to give him a half hug.  
"Of course, now let's both get some sleep kay?"


	21. Questionable Theories

Sakura blew on the hot tea cupped in her hands as she read the medical text in her lap.  
It was 10:00 am and she didn't have rounds at the hospital until 12:00 so she was taking full advantage of the opportunity.

She had been planning on sleeping in well past 10 but at 9:15 her mother burst into her room screaming about how lazy she was and then promptly stormed out of the house, slamming every door in the process.

Sakura couldn't blame her mother for all of her frustration: their relationship had been increasingly strained ever since her father, a prominent merchant of Konoha, had gone for that weekend business trip... seven months ago.

When Konoha sent for him it was found that he had been having an affair for the past year and had just settled down in a small town in Eastern Fire Country.  
Her mother was humiliated and had been the center of stinging town gossip ever since.

Her father occasionally sent Sakura letters asking her how she was, telling her that it had nothing to do with her, and that he loved her: he would often send her packages of things he had acquired during his latest travels or envelopes filled with cash.  
Guilt money she supposed.  
She would only halfheartedly write back a portion of the time, throwing away gifts, and spending his money on something nice for her mother. She still loved her father but his betrayal could not be forgiven.

After waking so abruptly Sakura simply laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, mulling over her mother's misfortune and misdirected anger, unable to go back to sleep.  
_"Just another man who's walked out of my life. Nothing you can do but keep trekking on."_  
At this thought Sakura lazily rolled out of bed and stepped into her slippers.

And thus she found herself on her couch and took another sip of the warm tea.

Although it doesn't sound very exciting, it was Sakura's guilty pleasure: to enjoy the silence of an empty house, laze about in her comfy plaid pajama shorts and white tank top, burrow into her soft couch. drink tea, and forget all her troubles.

These small moments of peace and serenity were little gems in comparison to her normally action packed, hectic, ninja lifestyle.

And it might sound like boring work, but studying up on a new medical text was just as fun to Sakura as a novel or a magazine could be. It was uncovering some new mystery of the human condition, exploring the inner workings of the body, discovering a weakness that could determine the outcome of a battle, learning things that could one day save a life or even just rid someone of some pain: it was her passion.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was nearly 11 now and Sakura was fully emerged in indulging herself in her slow morning when a loud banging was heard at the door.

She stared at it for a moment and hoped the person had gotten the wrong door.

The banging continued.  
She sighed, closed her book, and walked to the door.  
_"This better not be Naruto or I swear I'll hit him so hard he'll have to eat his ramen through a straw!"_

She grumpily yanked the door open.  
"Wh-"  
She was suddenly tackled by a hysterically weeping someone.

"Oh Sakura! Its so horrible!" She cried heavily onto her shoulder.

"S-sorami??? What's going on?! What happened?! What's wrong?!" Sakura's surprise was instantly replaced by concern.

Sorami lifted herself off of Sakura's shoulder abruptly and stomped into her house.

"SHE'S A HUSSY!" Sorami flung herself onto Sakura's couch and buried her face in a pillow making loud howling noises.

"Wait... what?" Sakura replied confusedly as she shut the door and walked over to her living room.  
"SHE'S A FLOOZY! A JEZIBELL!" Sorami sniffled into the pillow.

"Who is??" Sakura was positively confused: both by the statement and Sorami's strange, outdated terminology.  
_"Who could she be talking about? Is Kakashi seeing someone?!"_

"That **Hyuga** girl!" Sorami spat dramatically.

".............Hinata." Sakura sweat dropped hugely.

Sorami began wailing louder.  
"Yes! That horrid little siren-woman! She's corrupted my poor innocent little Narutoooo!!! She's tainted him with her poisonous lips and bewitched his naive heart with her wiles."

"...........Hinata." Sakura monotoned again.

"Yes!"

"First of all Sorami: absolutely nothing you just said describes sweet innocent Hinata Hyuga in ANY way, shape, or form! The words "hussy" and "Hinata" don't even fit together in the same sentence! Secondly: "**she** **corrupted** your **poor** **innocent** little Naruto?" HA! I'll believe that as soon as Ton-ton sprouts wings and flies! And Third: weren't you the one who set them up?! You **love** Hinata!"

Sorami pulled her face from the pillow, glared at Sakura, and pouted: no traces of her ever being truly upset evident on her face.

"Geez Sakura! What kind of friend are you? Aren't you supposed to take my side here!? When a friend comes into your home weeping dramatically you're supposed to agree with whatever crazy nonsense they spout, and then proceed to talk trash about whoever upset them!" Sorami sat up, closed her eyes, and rested her head on the back of the couch.

"Riiight. Well I guess I haven't brushed up on the "Good Friend Handbook" recently."

Sorami nodded and sighed.

"So what does bring you here?" Sakura asked as she settled down next to the teal haired woman on the couch.

"I told you: Hinata."

"..." Sakura stared at her like she was crazy.

Sorami sighed exaggeratedly.

"Naruto's always too busy with Hinata to spend **any** time with meee!" She pouted and her eyes glistened with fake unshed tears.

Sakura rolled her eyes.  
"You know thats not true! And anyway they just got together, of course their spending all their time with one another!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But what about **me**! What am **I** supposed to do while they go make googly eyes at each other?"

"So let me get this straight: you basically came here and caused all that ruckus just to complain to me about how bored you are." Sakura ground out.

Sorami smiled sheepishly.

"Well hey! You can't blame me I mean, I have nothing to do! I'm new here and I have no one to hang out with while Naruto and Hinata are off in lover-land!"

"You've got me!"

"Oh yeah? You're free today?" Sorami shot accusingly.

Sakura sweat dropped and thought about how she needed to get ready to go to work in about ten minutes.  
"Well..."  
"Exactly." Sorami flopped her upper body onto the armrest.

Sakura snapped her fingers.

"What about Kakashi-sensei! You never even told me how yesterday went!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Sorami groaned.  
"Please never speak that name ever again." She mumbled into the armrest

"What?! What happened???"

"Let's just say he is most definitely NOT interested in me."

"No way! I'm positive he likes you!"

"Nope. I thought so too for a little while but I made it painfully obvious that I liked him and he responded with: "Er... um... I'm pretty busy right now." ...aaaand that's about when I ran away... literally. So I guess that ship has sailed... and then caught on fire.... and then sunken."

Sakura pondered the situation.  
"You're wrong. I think he does like you. He just doesn't want to admit it... even to himself."

It was Sorami's turn to stare at her like she was crazy.

"Kakashi-sensei is a complicated person... he doesn't let people in very easily. He puts up his guard at all times... I guess you could say he treats life like he treats missions: he's always cautious and sometimes he over-thinks things. Over the years our team has been able to get under all that and he's let us in by just being there and opening up to him. So what I'm telling you now is not to give up on him so easily: he may not seem to have feelings for you now...but it might just be a diversion tactic and a defense so he doesn't end up worse for wear. Does that make sense?"

"I don't know Sakura... I don't think its very fair that he gets to put up all these defenses and yet the second he comes around all of mine just seem to vanish into thin air and I'm left completely exposed."

Sakura gave her an ironic smile.  
"I know exactly what you mean, but you know what they say: all is fair in love and war. Trust me: just give him another chance, he may surprise you."

"I guess... you're a smart girl you know that Sakura?"

Sakura blushed bashfully.

"I mean look at this! _Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences Volumes I-IV_! Please tell me this is just for making sure your papers don't fly away!" Sorami joked as she lifted the heavy medical book.

Sakura snatched the book back.  
"Hey! This book is very helpful I'll have you know! I was studying genjutsu with Kurenai-sensei yesterday and I wanted to take a deeper look into the processes, how it affects the mind, and where."

"Ahh I see: you'd apply the knowledge to your jutsu to make it stronger or be able to break other genjutsu more easily."

"Exactly. Plus knowledge of the human brain is very important to the medical field."

Sorami whistled.  
"Brain surgeon, top medic ninja, super strong, genjutsu master! Sakura my dear, you just might give Naruto a run for his money for that Hokage slot!"

"W-what? No! I-I'm no where near the level Naruto is! I can't even keep up..."

"Hey. Don't ever sell yourself short sweetie! If there's one thing I figured you would have learned from Naruto it's that:  
you should always shoot for the moon: even if you miss, you still land among the stars."

"Wow that's beautiful" The kuniochi said reverently.

"Yeah... I think I read that on the inside of a bottlecap once."

Sakura sweat dropped.

"Anywho Sakura, all I'm saying is you should always work hard to improve yourself wherever you can. You can do anything: I firmly believe that. Sitting here in your free time reading that crazy stuff! My goodness!"

"Well sorry I can't help you resolve your boredom issues today Sorami, I have to start getting ready for work soon. But Ino and I are going shopping on Wednesday, you should come along!"  
"Sounds like a plan! I have work a little later tonight anyway too but you've kept me quite entertained for the meantime Sakura dear. Thank you!" Sorami made her way to the door.  
Sakura laughed.  
"You're welcome "Sorami dear," I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Ciao daaaaahling!"

Sakura chuckled as she shut the door.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was once again Kakashi's turn to do surveillance on Sorami: it was nearing closing time, the dinner rush had just trickled out the door and the Kato Cafe was nearly empty except for one table that Mina was covering.

Sorami stood at the counter, bored out of her mind.

She yawned, bent over, and leaned on the counter, staring off into space.

WHAP!

"Yipes!"

Mrs. Kato whacked Sorami's backside with a rolled up magazine as she walked by.  
Sorami shot up and cradled her wounded behind.

"Get back to work! I don't pay you to stand around!" Mrs. Kato continued walking away.

Sorami stuck her tongue out behind her back, Mrs. Kato whipped around and shot her a reproachful eye.

She quickly focused her attention on the nearest item on the counter.  
"Yessss hmm ...cups." She nodded like she had been contemplating the items and working very hard.

She glanced to the side nervously to meet Mrs. Kato's intimidating glare.

The older woman huffed and kept walking, Sorami let out a relieved breath.

After a few moments she resumed her position of boredom:leaning on one hand staring at nothing as Mina said goodbye to her customers.

Kakashi too felt boredom creeping up on him: if Sorami had nothing to do, he had nothing to watch.  
_"I still haven't apologized for what happened the other day..." _Kakashi mused.  
_"I should do that soon... its not like I'm doing much now... other than surveillance... well Tsunade never literally said that this was __**covert**__ surveillance... And I could go for a bite to eat... a cup of coffee sounds really good actually... I can't exactly leave, so it makes perfect sense to just walk on down there."  
_  
At that conclusion Kakashi jumped down from his hiding place a started towards the cafe.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorami had just collected some dishes off of tables and brought them behind the counter when she spotted a splash of silver hair making it's way across the front window.

"Ack!"

Sorami tripped on the rug and she and her tray of dishes found themselves face to face with the floor.  
She heard the faint tinkling of the door and her heart started pounding.

"Are you alright?" Mina asked worriedly.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!" Sorami waved her off, crouched down, and flattened herself, trying her hardest to blend in with the back of the counter.  
_"Why?! Why is he here?! I can't face him yet! Not after I completely embarrassed myself! Okay, its okay: Mina will tend to him and I just have to hide here until he leaves! Piece of cake!"_

Mina looked up and saw a white haired ninja walking towards the counter with his face in a book.  
"Oooh I gotcha." Mina whispered to Sorami and winked.

Sorami smiled in relief.

"WHAT WAS THAT MA?! YOU NEED ME IN THE BACK?! OKAY!" Mina shouted obviously and started to walk away, laughing to herself.

"No Mina! Mina!" Sorami hissed from her hiding spot.

All she could do now was hope that when no one came out to get his order, Kakashi would simply give up and leave.  
She heard footsteps walk up to the register and she silently attempted to become one with the back of the counter.

Moments passed as Kakashi stood with his face in his book and Sorami willed herself invisible: she was almost positive he would be leaving in another moment or so.

"So watcha doing down there Sorami?" Kakashi asked as he flipped to the next page in his book.  
All of the color drained out of her face before being replaced by a bright shade of red.

"Oh! **There's** that... spoon... I've been looking for..." Sorami attempted as she stood up and grabbed the nearest object off of her fallen tray.

Kakashi looked up at her dubiously.

"So what brings you here?" Sorami asked lightly, setting her "elusive spoon" down.

"I told you I'd visit you sometime, and I'm a little peckish" Kakashi smiled.

"Right... uh what can I get for you?" Sorami blushed.

"I'll just get a cup of coffee and a Danish, for here."

"For here? Um well we close in about a half an hour..."

"I don't mind." Kakashi shrugged.

"Oh okay. You can have a seat wherever you like."

Kakashi nodded and took his seat.  
_"Oh great you would choose the table closest to the counter, as if I'm not as nervous as it is!" _Sorami thought exasperatedly. _"Just do what he's doing, act like nothing even happened, play it cool."_

Sorami started to prepare his coffee she glanced over to his table, trying to think of something to say to break the awkward silence; he seemed very involved with whatever literature he was currently reading.

"You know: I always see you with that book, is it really all that great? What's it about?"

"People." Kakashi responded simply.

"Ahh yes, that's a very popular topic for a great many books." Sorami quipped.

"So it is." Kakashi replied airily as he flipped a page.

Sorami's eyebrow twitched as she placed his Danish on a plate.  
"And what is it these people do in these books that has you so interested in them?"

"Lot's of things." Kakashi truly didn't understand why he had the urge to dance around the topic of his books with Sorami. Usually he didn't give a damn about people's opinions of his _peculiar_ reading habits but with Sorami he was, dare he say it, concerned about what she would think. And plus, he found it amusing to needle her.

Sorami placed his food and beverage before him.  
"Oh well, I like lots of things!"

Kakashi's eyes bugged out and he blinked repeatedly at his empty hands.

"Hmm...Icha, Icha Tactics..." Sorami hummed as she browsed over the cover.  
"...it sounds so familiar..."

Kakashi raised himself from his chair and approached her.  
"Hand it over."

Sorami gave him a questioning look at his serious demand.  
"Why?"

"Because its mine and you've taken it from me."

"I just want a look."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

A mischievous smile spread across her face.  
"Oh waaaait a second I remember where I've heard that name before..."

Sorami backed away from him and cracked open the book.

Kakashi advanced on her and she retreated.  
"Sorami...." He said in warning as he followed her across the store.

"Well this actually is **very** interesting! Who would have guessed you were reading **this**, this whole time?" Sorami laughed.

"Alright, you've seen the book now give it back." Kakashi replied as he reached for the book but she quickly hid it behind her back.

"Is that a blush I see Kakashi?"  
_"Never!"_ Kakashi thought indignantly.

They continued their game of keep-away as they ran across the store: they were separated by a table, edging back and forth to stay on opposite sides as Sorami continued to skim through the pages.

"Oh look! There's even illustrations! ... Oh my... oh my... o-oh my...." Sorami peeked through her fingers to shield her "virgin eyes" from "impure" images, placed her hand on her cheek to calm her imaginary blush, and placed her hand over her mouth in false surprise.

"Oh my.... oh, well this one actually looks pretty interesti-oh my!" Sorami exclaimed as she tilted her head at an angle.

Kakashi continued to attempt to reach for the book, he paused only momentarily as his brain took a second to register the fact that she had actually approved of one of the books racy positions.  
This time he actually did blush as images flashed through his mind but Sorami was much too preoccupied with teasing him mercilessly to see it.

She darted to the side and Kakashi followed at her heels. This game, although slightly amusing, was starting to get a little too personal for his liking.

He caught up with her at the register and she lifted the book above her head and leaned back on the counter hoping he couldn't reach it.  
Unfortunately for her, he was at least a head taller and easily leaned over her, plucking the book from her hand.

That left them leaning face to face with their bodies pressed together against the counter.

There they stayed, eyes locked: they both knew how intimate their position had become yet did nothing to reverse it.  
Sorami closed her eyes, tilted her head to the side and leaned her face forward.

Kakashi watched as she leaned in and suddenly his heart picked up pace, he panicked and quickly backed away.  
_"What am I doing? This isn't right." _Kakashi collected himself and went back to his table as if nothing had happened.

As Sorami felt him lift away she also felt her heart plummet into her stomach.  
_"What the HECK was that! Okay I know Kakashi is a __**special**__ boy but I __**know **__flirting and we were obviously flirting! It was a little "tease-me, tease-me!" Then some "chase-me chase-me!" Which results in "take-me take-me!" He reads those books, he should know! I mean this was no accident! He could have taken that book from me at ANY point and ended it if he really wanted to, he's a friggin ninja! _

_Fool me once, shame on me but fool me twice, shame on you!"_

"You know... you really are something else Kakashi." Sorami said as she leaned on the counter away from him and shook her head.

"Excuse me?" Kakashi set his coffee cup down.

"You heard me. Call me old fashioned but I'm not the kind of girl that **actually** goes after a guy. It's going out on a huge limb for me, but this time I wanted to try because I honestly thought you were worth it! So here I am dropping all these hints and not-so-much-hinting as flat out asking you out and you reject me. And that's fine! I'm a big girl, I can handle rejection! But then you come back and return all the hints and start acting like there's something more before dropping me flat on my ass again! You're just playing with my emotions and I am NOT one to be played. I really like you: we have a good time together and I feel that there could be something here and I think you think it too or you wouldn't have shown up here tonight." Sorami stated plainly and crossed her arms.

Kakashi didn't know how to respond to that.

"Sorami... I'm sorry if I led you on, thats actually why I came here tonight, to tell you that. I like you too but I really was just trying to get my book back."

She felt like she had just been slapped: that was the biggest load of bull she had ever heard. She was pissed.  
"Do you even believe that yourself?! "Just trying to get my book back!" That book! You know what I think? I think you are so preoccupied trying to protect yourself that you can't let anybody in, so you delude yourself into thinking that you don't want to let them in. And really that's okay, that works, but then you go reading that book! You try to tell yourself you don't want anybody but that book is a constant reminder that you do! It's like you won't let yourself live so you go live through that book! You don't have the guts to go find real love so you look to that fake shit for it!"

Now Kakashi felt like he had been slapped.

He was shaken to the core.  
No one had ever spoken to him like that.  
Ever.  
In his life.

They stood staring at each other in complete shock.

Kakashi couldn't believe she just said that.  
Sorami couldn't believe she just said that.

He sat down at his table and stared at the book laying on the tabletop with furrowed brows.

There were a few tense and silent moments.

Sorami rubbed her arm nervously.  
"Listen.... Kakashi... I'm really sorry... That was totally out of line... I-I was frustrated, I just blurted out whatever stupid thing I could think of. I didn't really mean it."

"No you did." He confirmed lightly, nodding, but not tearing his eyes away from the green cover.

_"Yeah I did..." _She thought guiltily.

Sorami tried to think of anything she could say to reverse what she had said, berating herself for saying something so idiotic: if she had any chance in hell with him before, it sure was gone now.

"I'm sorry."

Sorami jumped, surprised to hear him speak.

Kakashi stopped staring at his book and looked up at her.  
"You're right."

_"Hold the phone!"_  
Those were the last words she was expecting to hear.

"I knew I was leading you on and I did it anyway. I... can't explain why I did it but I did. I guess I don't really do relationships as you so... creatively, pointed out, but I guess that's my issue. So... I'm sorry." Kakashi shrugged.

_"Wow. Weird."_  
"Uhh--"

"Hey Sorami, we're closing shop so we gotta start cleaning up" Mina said quietly as she came out from the back room. She nodded towards the dishes at Kakashi's table.

"Right, right." Sorami waved absently at her but never broke eye contact with the man before her, still trying to think of something to say, still trying to figure him out.  
Every time she thought she had him pegged he went and flipped everything back around again until she was right back where she started.

Kakashi smiled sheepishly.

"I can catch a hint, I'll just pay for my food and be out of you're way then." Kakashi remarked.

"Uh no, don't worry about it, you barely even touched your food. It's on the house."

"Excuse me?!" Mrs. Kato bellowed from the back room.

"I mean- ITS ON ME!" Sorami yelled.

"Damn straight!"

"The woman has ears like a bat!" Sorami whispered to Kakashi and he chuckled.

"Here, let me pack that up for you." she grabbed his Danish and coffee.

As she smiled and handed him the paper bag and cup, there was an unspoken understanding that everything was forgiven.

Kakashi exited the shop and Sorami sunk down into a chair, mentally exhausted.  
Mrs. Kato and Mina came out and sat down at her table.

"You guys heard the whole thing didn't you." Sorami groaned to the table.

"We didn't--" Mina started.  
"Yep! Its my shop I'll listen to whatever I damn well please! That was even better than my soaps!" Mrs. Kato stated, surprisingly chipper.

_"If I didn't know any better I'd swear she takes pleasure from other people's pain."'_Sorami thought and gave a small laugh.

"Tell ya what: that entertainment was well worth what I'm paying ya! Why don't you just sweep the floor a little, head on home for the night, and then enjoy your day off tomorrow." Mrs. Kato said calmly.

_  
_Sorami smiled gratefully at her new friend and employer as she walked back to her office.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(S/L: Chairlift- Bruises [Sorami and Kakashi's relationship])

Sorami said her goodnights and placed her coat over her shoulders before venturing into the cool night.

She had only made it five steps and just exited the shop-front's ring of light when a hand grasped her shoulder.

She gasped and spun around quickly.

"Hey."

"Shit! Kakashi! You surprised me!" Sorami put her hand over her heart.  
"What are you still doing here?"

Kakashi himself had wondered the same exact thing:

As he left the shop he couldn't help but keep thinking about everything she had said about him.

If one thing could be said for Kakashi it's that he was a pretty level-headed guy: he looked at things logically and very rarely lost his cool.

If someone told him something contradictory to what he believed then supported their claim with evidence he would consider their idea objectively.

And he hated to admit it, but she brought up some pretty valid points concerning his actions.

These brought up even more concerns:  
Why was he leading her on?

Why did his heart race when she leaned in to kiss him?

Why did he look forward to his surveillance missions instead of dreading them like usual?

Why didn't he just brush her off easily like he always did to the women who took an interest in him?

Why was this even affecting him the way it was?

Why had he insisted on coming to see her?  
The reasons he had given himself earlier this evening now seemed half baked at best.

Truth was: he really did enjoy her company, there was something about her that just drew him in without even realizing it.

She had thrown him for a loop, this woman he had met only a short while ago: she had somehow found her way under his skin and into his head... and she was right... that scared him.

He was afraid and she knew it... that's what scared him the most.

But as a ninja, Kakashi always thought it best to face your fears head on.

And so he found himself outside leaning on the brick wall waiting for her to come out.

"Well when I got outside of the cafe I noticed just how late it was and I decided that I should walk you home."

"You really don't have to, I walk this way every night." Sorami stated as she started to walk._  
"Here he goes again sending these mixed signals."_

"Well if you have the option of walking with someone it's much safer, you know these streets can get pretty dangerous at night." Kakashi replied as he caught up with her.

Just then a little old lady smiled and waved at them from across the road.

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean. She is **obviously** up to no good." Sorami joked.  
_"There's just no resisting him, is there? Why fight it any longer, I'm just going to go with the flow. Que sera sera."_

"Oh don't let her looks fool you, I know that woman: vicious. Just be glad I'm here or you would have been a goner."

She laughed and bumped Kakashi's side.

"Oh you can be honest with me Kakashi: I know you only waited for me because **you** were afraid of walking alone. You knew ba-chan over there likes to haunt this part of town and you didn't want to risk it on your own."

Kakashi laughed.  
"You caught me." He conceded.

"Well don't you worry there little darlin' I'll protect you." Sorami said, puffing out her chest.

"My hero." He fluttered his eyes at her.

They both laughed as they continued down the street.

"You know something I like about this village? Even though this is one of the largest shinobi villages, and during the day it's buzzing with life: it's always so quiet at night. It's like all the world is at peace just for the night..... It's because it's a ninja village I suppose, everyone here must be stealthy in shadow and whatnot." She laughed.

Kakashi studied her and contemplated his response:  
"I've decided that's one of the things I've come to like about you."

Sorami's eyes widened and her heart picked up pace.  
"What? That I'm silent like the village? Ha, yeah right." She joked to play off her nervousness.

"No. That you always seem to appreciate all of the little things: things other people--things that **I**, tend to ignore or take for granted. You see them and you make them interesting, humorous... beautiful." Kakashi turned and smiled at her

Sorami blushed.

"T-thanks... for noticing... me noticing."  
They both laughed.

"Well, this is my stop." Sorami pointed out as they reached the apartment building.

"Thanks for walking me."

"It was my pleasure."

Sorami paused a moment in contemplation before hastily giving Kakashi a quick hug.

Kakashi was taken a bit off guard but somehow his hand still unconsciously found the small of her back before she released him.

"Well goodnight!" Sorami said before disappearing into the apartment building.

It didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi how his stomach seemed to flip when their bodies had connected.  
_"I'm in trouble."_

Kakashi started to walk away, slightly worried yet still satisfied when he realized where he needed to be at that moment:  
he was still on surveillance duty.

Just then a chunin jumped down in front of him.  
"The Hokage needs to see you in her office immediately Hatake-san."  
The ninja immediately dispersed to his other duties.

Kakashi wiped his hand over his face.  
_"Yep, I'm __**definately**__ in trouble."_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**A/N: **Hope you guys like the KakaSora relationship roller coaster! Sakura doesn't get enough credit in the series, so I'm giving her some in mine cha! (lol) OH! If you guys didn't know: I **really** like reviews. Mmmm reviews.


	22. No Words Necessary

"I assume you know why you've been summoned Kakashi"

Tsunade spun her chair around to face him.

"If it's about the hidden stash of sake, I'm afraid Shizune has sworn me to secrecy."  
Kakashi replied lightly, his hands resting in his pockets.

Tsunade glared at him sternly.  
"You disappoint me."

"Hai Hokage-sama" Kakashi lowered his head.

"You are supposed to be one of my most reliable men Kakashi. Yet here I find you botching a simple delivery mission AND THEN as punishment I demote you to a simple surveillance mission and you screw that up as well!"

Kakashi stayed silent.

"First I hear you take the suspect **out to dinner**?!Then while** on ****surveillance duty** you approach the subject, openly defying my orders and endangering this village!!"

"Forgive my impertinence Hokage-sama but I don't see how walking her home endangered this village." Kakashi rebutted.

"Yes, I suppose you wouldn't. This woman has gotten into your mind. So let me set something straight for you: she is a SUSPECT Kakashi! Suspect of being a highly skilled, manipulative, and intelligent kuniochi. Did it ever occur to you that she could be capable of such manipulation? I understand Naruto falling for such a display, he is young and trusting, but not you. Did you ever think that perhaps she was using you to get closer to the village, to get information? From what you told me of this ninja, it's a great possibility! You know for a fact many kuniochi are highly trained in the art of seduction and deceit: they use words and actions to lure you into a false sense of security. They are the world's greatest actresses, playing the role they believe will serve their interests, and adhering to it until the line between the role and their true selves in virtually indistinguishable."

Kakashi let the information sink in.

"Do you understand what I am saying Kakashi..."

"Yes my lady. I have made a grave mistake. I understand that now. It will not happen again." He said hollowly.

"With that being said, I must tell you something... The team I sent out to verify Sorami's background returned this afternoon..." Tsunade gave him a withering stare.

"_No."_  
Kakashi's heart stopped.

"They almost didn't find this place that she mentioned... almost as if it didn't exist... but they did find it in a remote part of Earth. The villagers in the town named Morini when questioned about a citizen who lived there by the name of "Sorami" reported that no one had lived there by that name for many years."

He felt he was going to be sick.

"...Ten years in fact."

Tsunade smiled at Kakashi's confused face.

"The team eventually came across an elderly woman who had known a young girl by that name **and** she stated the girl lived with a man named Miagi, they had lived up the road from her."

Kakashi let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

Tsunade flicked a worn piece of paper across her desk and he picked it up.

"When the team told the old woman that Sorami was a suspect she was insistent that her name be cleared. She said that she had known the girl from when she was very small and reported that she lived there all her life with no ninja influence in the village whatsoever, going on and on about how sweet Sorami was and how she was always working so it would have been impossible to have had time for ninja training. The old woman even took the team to her home to show her this old photo from a festival that they had attended."

Kakashi looked down to see a sepia toned photo with a teenage Sorami flashing him a peace sign while leaning down to sling her arm over an incredibly short man with a long white beard.

Kakashi smiled at the picture.

"To make sure the old woman's report was true the team looked into the public records, and although there was no birth certificate for her, they found documented census accounting for Sorami and her caretaker. Her story is legitimate and I can't think of a way in which she could have reached that level of combat prowess without formal training... so I'm officially terminating her as a suspect in the scroll theft."

Kakashi felt relief wash over him and Tsunade smirked at his expression.  
The smile suddenly disappeared.

"It does not excuse the fact that your actions as of late have been foolish, counterproductive, and completely irresponsible! You are a Jounin, an ex-anbu for crying out loud! You dishonor your title as a shinobi of this village!"

"Understood." The ninja waited to receive his punishment.

"...It is unlike you Kakashi... however, so is the fact that you have been on time to a number of your appointed duties , you've been more social and you seem to be... happier. As much as I value you as an asset to our militia, I also value the happiness and well-being of my people. This woman, she brings out something in you I have never seen: I just wanted to let you know that your actions could have ended in disaster... But they didn't. So as your Hokage I am reprimanding you for your mistake but as a friend I suggest you don't let the opportunity for happiness slip through your grasp.  
All I'm saying is: try not to screw up anymore."

"Yes Hokage-sama." Kakashi replied.

The blonde woman gave him an evaluating glare and he waited.

"That's it. You're dismissed. Get out of my office. Shoo." Tsunade said briskly making brushing motions with her hands.

"Yes Hokage-sama" Kakashi repeated, he bowed and made his way to the door.

"Oh and Kakashi, know this: one more screw up like this and you will be stripped of your rank! That being said, although the theft case is still inconclusive, you now have no one to do surveillance on: I am reinstating you to active duty. "

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Kakashi said warmly.

"Get out of here before I come to my senses!" She barked.

He shut the door and Tsunade smiled.  
_"I'm getting too soft."_

* * *

Sorami woke to the sound of hurried footsteps, she rolled over to see Naruto zipping up his jacket.

"Hey, where are you off to?" She yawned.

"I have training with Ero-Sennin this morning and then later in the afternoon I was going to hang out with Hinata-chan."

Sorami grunted and rolled over again.  
Naruto sensed some annoyance and he could guess why.  
"Hey, I know I haven't really gotten a chance to show you around the village like I said I would...

I know! Do you want to come with me and Hinata? I'm sure she wouldn't mind!"

Sorami smiled, the boy was sweet but a bit oblivious: even though she knew Hinata would be fine with it, the teal haired woman thought she would be a third wheel.

"Thanks sweetheart but it's okay. I know you and Hinata don't get too much time together. You know what? I think I'm going to spend the day wandering the village, it'll be nice to just explore on my own." Sorami said as she stood.

"You're sure? ...Well alright, you probably don't want to spend too much time outside today though: its raining. If you change your mind Hinata and I are going to see a movie, you're always welcome to come along." Naruto said as he walked towards the door.

"I'll be fine, have fun! And stay warm! I don't want you to catch cold!" Sorami called to him.

"Will do Sorami-chan byyye!" Naruto laughed as he exited.

* * *

Sorami tied her knee length, white trench coat at the waist before picking up her clear umbrella at the side of the door

She stepped out onto the landing and looked up at the grey morning sky before opening her umbrella and making her way down the stairs.

The streets were mostly empty and quiet, her footsteps making rhythmic taps as they met the wet sidewalk.  
As she walked along the road with no real destination in mind she listened to the tinkling of the rain hitting metal shingles and drainpipes and the soft ringing of chimes in the wind.

She watched a couple laugh as they ran across the road with newspapers sheltering their heads before making their way into a book shop.

The very few people dotting the streets were hurrying on their way to the nearest dry spot, yet she was in no hurry as the rain pummeled the top of her umbrella: a man from a barbershop gave her a questioning look and she smiled and continued on her way.

After a few minutes she met a dirt path and started walking along it: she breathed in the scent of wet earth and crisp pine.  
She let her feet guide her and, after a few minutes, came upon a clearing: she had just made her way around a tall bush when a figure caught her eye.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Kakashi stood out in the open as rain poured down on him, he seemed transfixed by a large stone formation in front of him.

Sorami stood silently.

_"What is he doing out here in this rain with no umbrella? He's soaked to the bone... I wonder how long he's been standing there...  
Wait... I've seen a stone like that before..."_

She decided he deserved his privacy.  
She took a step back.

"You don't have to go."

Kakashi turned to the side.

Sorami fidgeted with her umbrella handle before coming to stand next to him.

They stood both gazing at the stone, neither speaking.

"What are you doing out here in the rain?" Kakashi finally asked, breaking the silence. He turned to her again.

Sorami returned his gaze.  
"I should be asking you the same..."

Kakashi didn't respond, instead he turned back to the stone silently.

Sorami looked up at the sky through her umbrella.  
"I was out touring the village."

"It's raining." Kakashi responded bluntly.

"I know."  
Sorami watched raindrops collect on the top of her umbrella then slide down the plastic surface.

"I love the rain.  
I know rain is supposed to make people sad, but it makes me happy.  
I love everything about it: the look, the sound, the smell, the feel.  
It's wonderful."

"It's cold and wet. It weighs down your clothes, it makes the ground slippery, and makes tracking impossible... it's just a hindrance on missions." Kakashi responded blankly after a moment.

"That may be, but the rain also gives life and washes the world clean."

"It doesn't clean everything. Some things can't be cleaned." Kakashi's voice hardened, as did his gaze on the memorial stone.  
He thought about all the times he came and stood in front of the stone in the rain.  
On days when it rained he would stand here for hours: it was his penance, punishment for the mistakes he had made.

And she was wrong: his sins were never washed out by the rain.

Sorami knew there was something he wasn't telling her.

Kakashi watched as she walked up to the stone and knelt in front of it, setting her umbrella to the side.

She reached a hand out and slid her fingers over the cold stone, outlining the symbols carved on it, some with drops of water pocketed in their crevices.  
"Do you come here often?" Sorami asked sullenly as she continued reading the stone.

"Aa."

Sorami's brow furrowed.  
"There are so many names...  
Have you memorized them all?"

He tried to decipher the meaning behind her odd question.  
"... I know many of them... but... I only have one memorized."

Sorami nodded silently and let her hand fall.

"... His name was Obito." Kakashi said solemnly after a moment.

She found the name and touched the engraving.  
Kakashi watched as she closed her eyes and folded her hands in front of her in a sign of prayer.  
After a moment she got up and stood next to him, facing the stone.

They were silent once more.

Sorami slid her hand inside of Kakashi's.

He turned to her, surprised and she turned her head and smiled gently.  
He paused a moment before closing his hand around hers.

She looked back to the stone and he watched drops of water from her hair glide down the side of her face.

She simply stood next to him in the rain and no words were needed.

She was strange.  
She was beautiful.  
She made him feel less alone.

Kakashi led her over to the Memorial and picked up the umbrella she had left.

When he handed it to her, she lifted it up above both of their heads, protecting him from the rain.  
Even though he was still drenched, Kakashi no longer felt the cold.

He thought about the events over the past few days and the woman standing next to him._  
"What is stopping me?__She's here.  
She's right in front of me.__There's nothing stopping her.  
She said I was afraid. I can't even remember the last time I was truly afraid..."  
_

"Sorami." Kakashi said resolutely.

"Yes?" She replied hopefully.

"My shoes are filled with water."

Sorami looked down.

"...Oh... yeah mine are feeling a bit soggy too..."

"We should go somewhere dry...  
you know, the museum is pretty dry..."

Sorami smiled brilliantly.  
"I'd like that."

* * *

"Kakashi, you really do know the way to a woman's heart... now don't tell Naruto but sushi is actually my favorite food."

Kakashi gasped sarcastically as he broke his chopsticks.

"Not ramen???"

"Shhh keep it down. It is a close second but he'd be crushed if he found out." They both laughed.

Sorami watched a colorful fish swim by in the fish tank situated next to their table.  
"This place is amazing... everything about today has been amazing Kakashi. Thank you. I know going to a museum isn't every guy's ideal way to spend time but it was wonderful."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Kakashi poured her another glass of sake.

"I did... those war pieces were so intense... its so interesting to see such a raw depiction like that."

"Since this is a ninja village many of our artists are also warriors, they paint what they know. Like our dear Sai."

"I did see a few that were his style! I'm glad he has gotten recognition for his talent."  
Sorami picked up a piece of sushi and brought it to her mouth.

Kakashi was just leaning back smiling at her.

"Well aren't you going to eat?" Sorami chewed her tuna roll.

"Probably, I ordered this food didn't I?" Kakashi replied jokingly.

Sorami leaned forward on her hand and stared at him, smiling cheekily.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked her suspiciously.

"Well, go on. Eat." She pointed at the sushi on his plate.

Kakashi laughed.  
"Why do you insist?"

"I'm not going to lie to you Kakashi. I want to know what you're hiding under that mask of yours. Naruto has told me stories of the many ways you've avoided showing your face and I am very curious."

"Oh I see now, you're only in this for my looks eh? I'm so hurt." Kakashi teased, he placed his hand on his heart.

"Har-har! No seriously, why is it you wear that mask all the time?" She took a sip of her sake.

"Why do you think?" Kakashi inquired.

"You have a dreadful case of acne... I don't know! Don't avoid the question!"

"The answer is simple: to hide my identity." Kakashi expected her to groan and keep pestering him for answers but she simply nodded.

"I get it. You don't want people to know who you really are. You don't trust them enough see the real you... tell me Kakashi, is there **anyone** who you **have** let see what's behind that mask?" She asked as she took another sip of sake.

"Not really, only people I couldn't avoid, generally workers at restaurants, maybe a select few of the hospital staff."

"**Really**? What about... women?... You can't tell me you've never been with a woman." There was a challenging gleam in her eye, Kakashi laughed.

"Yes I have been with women before on occasion... but no. I haven't taken it off."

"WHAT?!" Sorami's jaw dropped and Kakashi chuckled again.  
"No! That doesn't even make sense! You're lying!"

"Afraid not. I've never felt the need to take it off and I guess they like the mystery."

"Oh that's so weird."

"Why thank you." Kakashi said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." She laughed.  
"You don't trust anyone enough to see your face... why not Sakura and Naruto? They are almost like family to you. Don't you trust them?"

"I probably would show them but then I think I would miss teasing them too much."

Sorami laughed, a waitress walked up to their table and addressed them.

"How are we doing here? Is there anything more I can get you? Dessert? Some more wine?"

Sorami smiled at her.  
"No, I think we're fine for right now, thank you though."

The waitress walked away and Sorami returned her attention to Kakashi.

"I mean you haven't even touched your--NO! Noooo!"

His plate was empty.

Kakashi chuckled.  
"Never lose focus on your opponent Sorami."

She lifted up the table cloth.  
"That's not even possible. You've hidden the food somewhere..."

He laughed again.  
"And you really should have asked that waitress for some more sake."

"What?!" Sorami picked up the bottle and peered inside to find it empty.

"Do you seriously sit at home and practice eating and drinking at light speed? Geez." Sorami fell back on her chair in defeat.

"I guess I'm just talented that way."

* * *

"Thank you for the dinner Kakashi it was lovely."

They walked down the road approaching the apartment building, Kakashi's arm around (an only slightly wobbly) Sorami.

"It was a lot of fun." Kakashi said warmly.

"Yeah it was, I always have more fun when I'm with you." Sorami sighed happily.

"More like you always have more fun when you drink." Kakashi teased.

"Hey! I am only slightly buzzed and if I recall correctly: wasn't it you that **downed** the rest of that bottle of sake while my head was turned?"

"Touche." Kakashi laughed as they reached the stairs.

"Well here we are again. You watch out on your way home okay, I wouldn't want you to get mauled by an old granny or mugged by a kitten or something." Sorami wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No kidding, now I'm kind of scared." Kakashi said softly as he put his arms around her waist, he leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

Sorami closed her eyes, tilted her head and leaned forward.

"What are you doing?" Sorami opened her eyes to see Kakashi leaning back with a look of confusion on his face.

Sorami backed away.

"Riiight. What am I thinking? I'm sorry. You see, here I thought there were these concrete signs and signals you were giving me** this time**, you know: the "museum" reference, meaning you wanted to go on an official date, the flirting, the expensive dinner, the holding, the touching. But uh, yeah I guess I'm just... wrong. So wrong. Sooo I guess I will see ya around sometime."

Sorami turned to go up the stairs shaking her head.

Kakashi caught her hand and pulled her back to his chest.

He smiled at her.

"When I said "what are you doing" I meant "how do you plan on kissing me with my mask still on?" Kakashi said smoothly, trapping her in his arms again.  
Sorami gave him a questioning look.

He reached for his mask, she stopped his hand.

"Wait, are you serious? I thought you said you don't remove it for women."

Kakashi shrugged.  
"I suppose... I've decided to make an exception." He went to remove it again, she stopped his hand.

"May I?" She asked heatedly, he laughed and put his hand down.  
"Oh this is so exciting, I feel like a kid getting to open their present on Christmas!" She exclaimed.  
Kakashi rolled his eyes.

Sorami curled her fingers around the edge then paused.

"You sure about this? I mean I can wait if you're not ready. I respect your boundaries." Sorami teased.

Kakashi laughed.  
"Yes. I'm sure."

**(S/S/L: The XX- Do You Mind [Lime?])**

Sorami peeled down the cloth slowly until it rested under his chin.

She tilted her head to the side and took in the features of his lower face slowly.

She gently passed her hand over his cheek.  
He smiled and she felt her stomach do a somersault at the sight.

"....

Wow.

...You're prettier than me." She remarked lightly and smiled.

Kakashi laughed, he leaned forward to finish the action that had spurred the removal of his mask.

However it was Sorami who backed away this time.  
"No, this isn't fair... I'm supposed to be the cute one in this relationship... I mean how am I suppos--mmph!"

Kakashi cut off her comical rant with his lips.

She didn't mind the interruption one bit.

She fervently ran her fingers through his hair and he let his hands wander her back.

After a few minutes Sorami broke the heated kiss.  
"Damn, that mask has done wonders for your lips. Maybe I should start wear--mph!"  
Apparently Kakashi wasn't in the mood for jokes anymore: he was in the mood for other things.

Somehow they managed to go from kissing on the stairs of the apartment, to kissing against the apartment building wall, to kissing against the street sign on the corner.

Kakashi adjusted his assault from her mouth to her neck and shoulders.

"You know... I was thinking--" Sorami said breathlessly.  
"You really shouldn't walk all the way to your apartment alone at this time of night... you should really have someone with you..."

Kakashi stopped and looked up at her.  
Sorami smiled mischievously and pressed her mouth to his passionately.

Kakashi lifted her up and started running full speed towards his apartment.

Sorami giggled uncontrollably.  
_"What a perv!"_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

Kakashi stumbled through his apartment door with Sorami's leg wrapped around his own, still making out intensely.

They started peeling items of clothing off and throwing them aside, rarely losing contact with each other's lips.  
Eventually they hit the bed and fell on top of it.  
Kakashi was very pleased to find a now very topless Sorami in his bed and began his way downward, exploring this new part of her.

She took this moment to look around his apartment and something caught her eye.

There, directly above his bed, was the entire Icha Icha collection.  
Sorami giggled and picked one up.

Kakashi glanced up to see what had caused her to laugh and came back up to her face.  
He kissed her hard in an attempt to distract her and take the book but she resisted.

She broke from the kiss.  
"Hmm so this is my competition eh?" She teased as she looked at the book.

Kakashi continued his ministrations on her body more vigorously, hoping she'd lose focus.  
Her breath hitched and she could only look at the pages a second more before tossing it aside and returning to him.

"I think I can top it." She murmured against his lips as she wrapped herself around him.

Kakashi smiled hugely and silently thanked every god he could think of, even making up a few for good measure.

* * *

When Kakashi awoke the first thing he saw was Sorami's sunlit face on his pillow, he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Sorami stretched her arm over him as she woke and rested her head on his chest.

"Mmmm... wow."

"Agreed." Kakashi chuckled and Sorami felt it rumbling underneath her.

She leaned over and gave him a quick peck.  
"Damn Kakashi you're kind of a slut huh?" Sorami said appreciatively .

"What are you going on about now?" Kakashi asked before claiming her neck with his mouth and nipping at her pulse.

Sorami giggled at his actions.

"Well you've got to admit some of those things you were doing last night were kind of sluttish."

"I'll show you sluttish..." Kakashi went beneath the covers and Sorami laughed loudly.

She lowered herself under the covers and wrapped her arms around his neck.

They stared at each other in the filtered light under the blankets.

Kakashi held the back of her neck and brought their lips together for a moment.

"We've slept in pretty late, I should get going soon. I scheduled training with my team this morning and then I have to report to lady Tsunade." Kakashi sighed.

(S/L: Jack Johnson- Banana Pancakes)

"You don't have to go. Let's sleep in. You can call in sick."

Sorami crawled on top of him and straddled his hips, pinning him down.  
"You don't want to stay with me?" She asked expectantly.

Kakashi laughed, leaned up, and caressed her shoulder with his lips.

"I want that more than anything right now but I have these things called "obligations."

He flipped their positions so he was hovering above her and then made to get up.  
She grabbed his arm and pulled him back down so he was lying on top of her again.

"You know "obligation" is such a terrible word. A better word would be "desire." As in 'Don't you "desire" me?' As in 'Do you "desire" to repeat last night right now?" She punctuated each statement with a small peck against his skin.

"I do "desire" that, very much so, but regrettably I don't have the time." Kakashi ended his statement with a long drawn out kiss before backing away.

"Oh come on, you're late all the time! No one would expect any different." Sorami sat up and wrapped the sheet around her to cover her indecency.

He turned around to see her tangled in his sheets, pouting.  
"You are making it very hard for me to leave, you know that?"

"That's sort of the point." She smiled.

Kakashi returned to the bed and kissed her again before disappearing into the bathroom.

He turned on the taps of his shower, closed his eyes, and let the running water flood over his face.

It was only a few moments before he heard his shower door open and shut.

He didn't even have to open his eyes.

"Sorami... what are you doing in my shower?" Kakashi asked cautiously before admiring the wet naked woman in front of him.

_"Kami."_

"Well you were so concerned with time management, I figured it would be a great idea if we took a shower together! **Surely** that will save us loads of time!" She answered innocently.

"Uh huh." Kakashi replied skeptically watching as she bent down to pick up the bar of soap.

He closed his eyes and tried his hardest to restrain himself.

"See? I can even wash for you!" She exclaimed happily as she massaged his body with a wash cloth.

_"This woman is tempting me."_ Kakashi thought desperately.

"We can wash each other's hair and everything..." She poured shampoo and both of their hands, she began massaging the top of his scalp and he did the same to her and she moaned softly.

_"You don't have time. You don't have time. She's doing this on purpose. You don't have time."_

She lathered his hair and then used the bubbles to create a beard and mustache on his face. She closed her eyes and giggled and he gave her an exasperated look.

"Right. Time. Sorry." She muttered.

She made her way to scrub the back of his head, pressing her naked front to his and then moaned loudly against his ear as he washed her hair.

"That's it!"  
Kakashi pressed her against the shower wall and she wrapped her legs around his torso, smiling victoriously.

Safe to say Kakashi would be arriving to his appointments even later than usual today.

* * *

**A/N:** I love The XX, I love Jack Johnson, I love lamp, and **I love reviews. **(If you caught the anchorman reference may I offer you a high five?)


	23. Catch Me If You Can

**AN**: Wow can't believe how long its been since I updated, lot's of complications... wonder if anyonestill follows this story O.o  
Anywho I don't like to leave things unfinished so I'm still going to try to complete this story. My goal is to do it before the actual series ends, who knows!  
Mushy chapter ahead.

* * *

Sorami stood on the sidewalk and gazed lovingly at the deep red, silk scarf in the store's display case  
_"No. I don't need that scarf. Scarves are so pointless, they only cover a tiny part of your body, how is that supposed to keep me warm?"_

She shook her head and moved past the display window.

It was only a second before she suddenly zoomed back, as if pulled magnetically, then placed her hands on the glass.  
_"But it's soooo preeetty."_

"Sorami!"  
Her trance broken, Sorami turned her head to see a waving Sakura and a platinum blonde girl walking towards her.  
"Hey Sakura! Hi, you must be Ino. I've heard so much about you, I'm Sorami." The two shook hands.

"Nice to meet you. If forehead here has been the one telling you about me; you shouldn't believe a word of it. Although her head is huge, there's not much in the way of brains back there." She emphasized her phrase by knocking on Sakura's brow.

"Oh pig, I've only been telling her that we shouldn't shop too near the farmer's market because they might mistake you as one of the livestock and try to haul you off!" Sakura ground out as she swatted her hand away.

"I can see why you two are such good friends." Sorami drawled sarcastically.

Ino's eyes wandered to the display case behind Sorami.  
"Ooh cute scarf!"

"I know right! I've only been staring at it forever." Sorami exclaimed dreamily.

"_Leave it to shopping to bring girls together."_ Sakura thought happily.

"Why don't you buy it?" Ino asked.

"Well, I'm trying not to spend too much money; I'm saving up for something special." Sorami said as she gazed longingly at the scarf.

"What are you saving up for?" Sakura asked, pulling both her friends away from the display.

"It's a surprise." Sorami smiled and winked.

"So then why did you come shopping if you don't want to spend any money?" Ino asked bluntly as they moved down the sidewalk.

"Well the way I see it, even if I'm low on cash I can still find a few great things for cheap. I'm a sucker for thrift stores and antique shops." Sorami said cheerily.

"Ew. Like things other people have used and thrown out?" Ino asked skeptically.

"Ino's more of a boutique, designer label girl." Sakura explained.

"To each her own." Sorami shrugged, they continued down the road and entered a nearby shop.

* * *

Sakura, Ino, and Sorami laughed as they exited a shoe store.

"I can't believe he actually did that! Aww but Lee is so adorable Sakura!" Sorami cooed.

"No! He's soooo weird!" Ino laughed.

"Lee-san is very sweet but he just plain gives me the creeps sometimes!" Sakura giggled.

It was nearing late afternoon and already Ino didn't have space on her arms to carry another shopping bag.  
Sakura was only carrying two, and Sorami held a small brown paper bag in one hand with a pair of chandelier earrings inside.

"Ugg my arms hurt, Sa-kuuuu-raaa carry some of these will ya?" Ino whined.

"No way Ino! It's your own fault! I should really sign you up for shopaholics anonymous or something." Sakura commented.

"Tch. What is it with women and shopping?"

The group of girls turned around to see two boys walking up to them.

"Pshh, like you could ever understand Shikamaru." Ino rolled her eyes.

"How much did you spend on all that pointless crud? Sometimes I think you're worse than Choji and his barbecue." The lazy ninja drawled.

"**Hey!**" His two teammates exclaimed in unison.

Sorami laughed.

Shikamaru addressed Ino and motioned to Sorami with his thumb.  
"Huh? Who's this?"

"Geez Shika! Rude much? Here, I'll show you the _polite_ way to introduce people:  
Shikamaru, Choji, this is my new friend Sorami she has just moved to Konoha; she enjoys thrift shopping, dancing, and stormy days.  
Sorami, this is my incorrigible, inflatable, teammate Choji, he enjoys eating... trying out new foods, rolling around like a giant ball and hanging out with his best friend.  
Which leads us to Shikamaru: my lazy, certified genius and certifiably annoying teammate. He enjoys cloud watching, napping, whining, procrastination...oh and Shogi."

"Gee nice intros Ino. What are you, a game show host?" Shikamaru yawned.

"Well it's nice to meet you both. I too enjoy trying new foods and I hate to brag, but I'm pretty much a wiz at Shogi." Sorami smirked and Shikamaru's eyebrows rose.

"That's cool." Choji commented lightly.

"See Shika? You guys have something in common! Now you've found a new person to play Shogi with!" Ino suggested happily.

"Sure, why not. Playing my dad has gotten a bit old." Shikamaru said nonchalantly, placing his hands in his pockets.

Ino sighed.  
"Honestly Shikamaru, I don't know where you'd be without me."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway Ino, we didn't just come here to chitchat I'm here to tell you we have training this afternoon."

Ino made a tutting noise with her mouth.  
"Don't think that just because you're a Jounin now it means you can boss me around Shika-**ma-ru**."

"Actually, that's exactly what it means I-**no**." The genius mocked.

"Fine, whatever, but if I have to go, you guys have to carry my bags home."

"Wait wha-?" Shikamaru attempted before being bombarded with bags.

"Ino! What in the heck did you buy: bricks?" Choji groaned as he disappeared under her items.

"Oh hush." Ino said as she loaded the last of the bags onto Choji.  
"Well sorry gals, looks like I have to get going. Come on boys!"

Ino strutted away, her teammates grumbling in her wake.

"...And that was team ten." Sakura laughed.

"That Ino is quite the character." Sorami giggled.

"So what's the deal with her and that Shikamaru guy huh? I smell romance! They've got this awesome, old married couple thing going on between them." Sorami said excitedly.

"Oh no wonder you and Ino could get along! You can both gossip nonstop!"

"_And I love it!_" Sakura thought excitedly.

"But yeah, I know what you mean, for the longest everyone was talking about them being the future "it couple." I mean they've known each other their whole lives, their families are super close, and they care about each other deeply as teammates.  
But no, sadly they aren't together.  
I was really convinced they'd be perfect for one another, but they tried going on a date once but it was a total disaster. (It was right before Naruto and I went out, the pig kept telling me that I was just imitating her by dating a teammate.)

Anyway, apparently while they were on the date Shikamaru actually fell asleep while she was talking! (Ha! Serves her right!)  
It just went downhill from there, so safe to say it didn't work out.

But you know also, I hear nowadays Shikamaru spends an **awful** lot of time with this girl Temari who's the sister of the Kazekage from the Sand Village. She's really great, and I think she's more Shikamaru's speed anyway. She's got that kind of commanding presence like Ino, but she's, I don't know: more intense.

"Ooh inter-village dating, long distance, shinobi clashes: drama, drama." Sorami whispered excitedly.

"I know!" Sakura giggled.

"Well I think I've got a bit of a romance scandal you've yet to hear..." Sorami said leadingly.

"Really? Spill it." Sakura demanded.

"Yeah, I heard Kakashi and this new girl in town are dating..." Sorami smiled hugely.

Sakura's eyes widened at Sorami and the teal haired woman smiled and nodded.

"That's so great! I'm so happy for you! And aww Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura hugged her.

"You're welcome by the way! I knew he liked you." Sakura said confidently.

"Yeah, I just had to be patient. It was totally worth the effort."

"So what happened? Are you guys official or what?"

"Well, I ran into him yesterday while I was wandering around the village and he just asked me out! Oh Sakura it was so perfect. We went to the museum, then he took me to this beautiful sushi restaurant, and he walked me home and we kissed...and kissed...and then I walked **him** **home**. So we've both made it pretty _official_... a few times actually." Sorami laughed.

"Wow. A little weirded out because he's my ex-sensei but still: mostly I'm really happy for you!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Thanks, I'm really happy too." Sorami said embarrassedly.

Sakura did a double take.  
"Wait a minute... you guys kissed?"

"Well like I said... we've done more than just kiss…" Sorami said suggestively.

"Yes. I understand that... still kind of weird. What I meant was: did he take off his mask to kiss you?"

"Right, sorry. And yeah he did." Sorami sighed dreamily and a blush covered her cheeks as she stared out at nothing.

"_Her reaction! Just like the workers at Ichirakus! I MUST KNOW!"_  
"So you've see his face? What's it like? Describe it to me!" Sakura asked rapidly.

"Sorry Sak, I've promised Kakashi I wouldn't tell: my lips are sealed. It gets to be my little secret." Sorami winked and made a locking gesture over her lips.

"Oh come ooon Sorami! That's so unfair! How in the heck does he show you, but not us who he's known for years!" Sakura whined.

"Well he needs to uncover his lips to do **certain things** with me that he doesn't need to do with the two of you."

Sakura pouted.  
"_Ugg this is so frustrating! There's got to be a way to see that man's face... well with Sorami around there's a higher chance of seeing it! They're going to kiss on dates...oh but it would be so wrong if we shadowed them on a date..."_

"Hey, I feel we should do something as a congrats: we should all go out to dinner! The whole team, you, and Naruto could bring Hinata!" Sakura gave a fake smile.

"Oh that's a great idea Sakura! Me and Kakashi, Naruto and Hinata, and you and Sai! It's like a triple date! That sounds like so much fun!" Sorami said joyously.

"Not so much me and Sai." Sakura clarified sternly at Sorami's repeated matchmaking attempt. "But this Friday sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan! Oh but Naruto..." Sorami trailed off.

"What about him?" The kuniochi asked.

"Well he has no clue about me and Kakashi really…" Sorami stated halfheartedly.

Sakura scoffed, sarcasm dripping in her voice.  
"He's going to take **that** well."

* * *

Sorami closed the door behind her softly, trying to make as little noise as possible as she entered the apartment.

The doorknob made a quiet click as it turned back.  
"Sorami-chan?" Naruto shrieked and came tumbling down the hall towards her.

"Oh! Hi Naruto! I didn't think you'd be home! Err... how was your day?" She asked awkwardly.

"I haven't gone out today! You didn't come home last night! I was worried! I tried to make baa-chan to send out a search party but she just called me a baka and kicked me out of her office!"

Sorami laughed.  
"Naruto, sweetie, I'm fine! I just uh... spent the night at a friend's... I'm sorry I made you worry like that, I should have left a note or something."

"No, I get it: girls like to have sleepovers and stuff. I knew that. Duh." Naruto said waving it off as if he knew the whole time.

"But you came home pretty late, where have you been all day?"

"Sakura, Ino, and I went shopping this afternoon." Sorami lifted her small brown bag as evidence.

"And I met Ino's team and everything; it was pretty funny."

"It's good you're getting to know everyone. I'm glad you're having fun, but you know, I really miss just hanging out with you, we should do something soon." The blonde commented as he sat down at the table.

Sorami walked over to the kitchen area and started to prepare tempura for dinner.

"Yeah! Sakura and I were just talking about that! She suggested we all go out Friday night for dinner! Me, Kakashi, Sai, Sakura, you and Hinata... you know... sort of... like a... triple date." Sorami waited for his reaction.

Naruto laughed.

"Sorami, how is that like a triple date? Hinata and I are the only ones that are dating!"

"Well not exactly... there is another couple." Sorami admitted reluctantly.

Naruto stopped chuckling as he took in the information. His face turned to one of pure disgust.

"No! No way! SAKURA AND SAI? Ewwww! Nooooooo! That's so weird!" Naruto screeched.  
"Naruto—"  
"How could Sakura stoop so low! I mean, of all people: **Sai**? I mean the guy is such a... such a..."  
"Naruto." Sorami attempted again.  
"I don't even know what he is! Oh Sakura-chan! Has the world gone mad? Am I the only sane one left?"  
"NARUTO!" Sorami shouted to gain his attention.

"Huh?" Naruto finally snapped out of his babbling.

"Sakura and Sai aren't the ones going out." Sorami rubbed her arm nervously.

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion.

The room was silent except for the egg timer Sorami had set for the food cooking on the stove.

Tick-tick-tick-tick-DING!

Naruto's face changed to one of realization, then to absolute disbelief.

Sorami gave him an awkward smile and a shrug before turning back to the food on the stove.

"Agh! Sorami-chan, no! Kakashi-sensei? Really?" Naruto groaned.

"Naruto, Kakashi is a great guy and you know it!" Sorami responded dismissively.

"Yeah but, ugh, Sorami-chaaaan no. That's weird! You can do better! He's almost as big a pervert as pervy sage!" Naruto whined.

"I know, it's hot..." She mumbled happily.

Naruto snapped his head in her direction and gave her a traumatized look at what he thought he heard.

"Err I mean—aye, no, he's not!" She covered quickly.

For his own sake Naruto decided to believe her revision.

Sorami placed a plate of food in front of him and he just pouted at it childishly.

"Come on, I've been spending a lot of time with him lately and I **really** like him Naruto."

The gears in Naruto's head went into overdrive again and he gasped hugely.  
"Is **that**where you were last night!"

"Well, yeah sort of..." Sorami chuckled hesitantly.

"You spent the night at his house? He didn't... he didn't... **take advantage** of you, did he?" Naruto stared up at her with desperation.

"_Geez look at that face, I'll break his little heart if I tell him the truth. I won't be his sweet Sorami-chan anymore. I'll be the Demon Kakashi's love slave."_  
"O-of course not! He would never take advantage of me!"

Sorami sweat-dropped hugely.  
"_I'm not lying per say…The way I see it: I took advantage of him if anything." _

Naruto turned away a bit consoled, grumbled, and started to stab at his food.

"Aww come on Naruto! Don't be like that: he makes me happy! Don't you want me to be happy?" Sorami mewled.

Naruto pouted for a few seconds more before letting out a large sigh.  
"Argh! Fine! I guess if he makes you happy or whatever. But if he tries anything funny I'll rip his arms off!" He warned.

"I wouldn't have it any other way sweetie!" Sorami said cheerily as she ruffled his hair.

* * *

Naruto glared at the couple next to him standing in front of the ramen stand.

"N-naruto-kun, my hand." Hinata squeaked.

Naruto glanced down to find his fist crushing Hinata's small digits.  
"Oh, sorry about that. I'm just so frustrated! I don't like the idea of Kakashi-sensei going out with Sorami-chan."

Naruto trained his hawk eyes back onto Sorami and Kakashi once again scanning for any indication of foul play, yet the two were simply standing next to each other conversing casually.

"W-what's wrong with it Naruto-kun? I think they make a sweet couple, and Kakashi-san is a nice man."

"Oh that's just what he wants you to think! But oh, in reality he reads Icha-Icha... ALL DAY. He's a pervert! He's going to try and _do things _to poor Sorami-chan!"

Hinata blushed five shades of red.  
Naruto saw her face and blushed deeply as well. He realized he had just discussed porn, perverts, and **doing things** with the shy girl.  
They both quickly turned away and their palms that were connected got a bit sweaty.

Hinata cleared her throat.  
"I-um...Well, I mean, they are both adults of a certain age and um... i-if they've both decided t-to m-make a c-commitment l-like that, i-it's sort of normal, to um do... things."

"Yeah I guess cuz they're adults it's different. But I just want to make sure he doesn't rush her or anything, you know?" Naruto couldn't help but smile: even when talking about uncomfortable topics with Hinata, Naruto found she always found something to say that made him think and see it in a new light.

"I s-suppose it all depends on personal preference. I've a-always thought it would be better if you got married first."  
Hinata stopped suddenly and blushed madly.  
_"Oh my god! I just discussed marriage with Naruto-kun! He must think I'm crazy!"_

Once again they both blushed and turned away quickly, but Naruto took a glance back and grinned rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" Everyone looked up as Sakura and Sai walked towards them.

"Shall we then?" Kakashi wrapped his arm around Sorami as they made their way into Ichiraku's.

"HEY! WATCH THOSE HANDS MISTER!" Naruto bellowed and started stomping towards them.

Sakura tackled him.  
"Will you hush! Listen up!" Sakura made the group huddle and pulled Naruto back by the collar as he tried to stomp towards the restaurant again.

"Alright listen everyone: Hinata, Sai, and you especially Naruto!" Sakura whispered.

Naruto huffed.

"We didn't all just meet here simply to have a meal together." Sakura said conspiratorially.

"We didn't?" Hinata questioned.

"No. The real reason is that we're on a very important ongoing mission: 'Mission See Kakashi-sensei's Face!"

"This is a mission?" Sai asked.

"Yes Sai." Sakura replied shortly.

"This does not sound like a mission." He stated

"Shush Sai!" Sakura ordered.

"Sakura, every time we go out to eat with Kakashi-sensei is 'Mission See Kakashi-sensei's Face'" Naruto rolled his eyes.  
"We've been trying to get a peek at it since he was assigned our team leader." He explained to Hinata who giggled at his devious tone.

"Yes, but today is different! Today we have double the chance!" Sakura said excitedly.

"Eh? Why is that?" Naruto perked up at this information.

"Well on a date with Sorami he might be tempted to show a little PDA and remove his mask!" She replied.

Naruto contemplated her code.  
"PDA?...P... D... Ack! No! He's not laying a finger on her while I'm here!" Naruto shouted protectively.

Sakura grabbed his jacket and shook him.  
"Listen you! We've been trying to see that man's face for years! You will not ruin this chance for me! Now **choose**: trying to stop something that's already happened, or getting to see something we've spent years trying to see!"

Naruto actually thought it over for a few moments, completely oblivious to the furious Sakura looming over him with killing intent if he said no.  
"Hmm... You make a good point. I'm in." Naruto nodded resolutely.

Sakura calmed down instantaneously.  
"Great! Alright everyone, just be on the look out for any times when he is about to eat, or when he's looking especially cozy with Sorami, got it?"

"Right!" Naruto saluted.

"H-hai!" Hinata giggled.

"This mission is oddly pointless."

"Shut up Sai!"

They entered the restaurant together, looking determined.

* * *

So far, the mission was a total failure.

Somehow Kakashi had eaten all of his food without a single one of them catching a glimpse.

But things were looking up! Kakashi, with no food, began entertaining himself by trying to distract Sorami.

He whispered something in her ear and she giggled and pushed him away.

A short while later he nudged Sorami's ankle, she turned around to see what he wanted he looked around as if he hadn't done anything.  
She smiled and kicked him back.  
They went back and forth play fighting until she finally hit his arm with her hand. He caught it and pulled her towards him.  
They stayed close and laughed… slowly they stopped laughing and simply gazed into each other's eyes...

"WILL YOU TWO JUST KISS ALREADY!" Naruto had gotten fed up with their games.

"Naruto!" Sakura hit him over the head.

Kakashi and Sorami blinked at his outburst.

"What? Why the sudden interest in our relationship?" Kakashi asked innocently.

"I'm done with the games Sakura! We want you to kiss so we can see what's behind that mask Kakashi!" Naruto shouted vehemently.

"Shame on you all! Using our relationship to try to force him to show you his face. If he doesn't want to, you should respect his decision." Sorami reproached dramatically.

Sakura squinted her eyes at the woman; she knew Sorami was secretly enjoying this.  
"Yeah, you're probably right, we shouldn't—NARUTO HOLD HIM DOWN WHILE I RIP IT OFF HIS FACE!" Sakura suddenly leapt from her stool and yelled.

"TWO STEPS AHEAD OF YOU!" Two Naruto clones were already holding Kakashi's shoulders to the counter top.

Kakashi had tears in his eyes.  
"I feel so violated."

Sakura jumped and yanked the fabric down.

There.

His lower face was... a drawn on smiley mouth.  
The body the Naruto clones held disappeared with a poof.

"A shadow clone." Sai stated.

"Oh b-but he wouldn't just leave Sorami, would he?" Hinata thought aloud.

The group turned to her seat to see a waving and smiling Sorami disappear as well.

"Shadow clones! Both of them! We've been had! They knew the plan all along! After them!" Naruto exclaimed.

The group all started to move towards the exit only to be cut off by an angered looking Ayame smacking a spatula to her hand menacingly.  
From behind them Ichiraku cleared his throat and held a paper out to them.

"Ugg! And they stuck us with the bill!" Sakura whined.

All four of them dropped their heads and sweat-dropped.

* * *

**( SSL Donora Shhh [Escape together])**

Kakashi and Sorami ran down the street hand in hand laughing.

"Oh man I wish we could see their faces right now!" Sorami laughed breathlessly.

"See what I mean when I say it's fun to tease them?" Kakashi chuckled.

"So good!" She announced as she did a small jump.

"They should be coming after us just about now. Come on." Kakashi pulled her around a sharp corner.

As if on cue Naruto's distinct voice was heard in the distance.  
"They went this way I know it!"

"I think they're catching up, we've got to hurry, they'll probably try to make me pay for the food." Kakashi said amusedly as he squeezed her hand and they ran faster.

"RAH! KAKASHI-SENSEI GET BACK HERE AND GIVE ME MY MONEY!" Sakura growled, sounding even closer.

"See?" Kakashi whispered and raised his eyebrows at Sorami.  
She laughed loudly before covering her mouth with her hand.

"You heard that? Down this way!" Naruto exclaimed.

The pounding of the group's footsteps was getting closer.

"Kakashi I don't know how much farther I can run in these shoes!" Sorami whispered breathlessly.

Kakashi glanced down at the heels she was wearing.  
_"I don't even know how women run in those damn things in the first place!"_

He quickly ducked down a dark ally and pulled her in just before the group of young shinobi turned the corner. He covered her mouth with his hand and smiled at her mischievously as the teenagers ran past. When their footsteps sounded far enough he let his hand fall.

Sorami, heart pounding, and adrenaline running from their chase, vigorously pulled Kakashi's mask down and kissed him against the brick building they were hidden behind.

He was all too eager in his response and they explored each other wantonly.

"You know I love that this gets to be all mine." She kissed every part of his face that would be covered with his mask.

"You know I love that this gets to be all mine as well." Kakashi responded roughly.  
Sorami gasped and blushed deeply when she felt where his hand was.

Kakashi covered her lips again passionately.

"I know they went this way! I swear!" Naruto's voice was coming back towards them.

They paused their actions mid-motion, quieted their heavy breaths, and held on to each other, staying completely still.  
They both were fighting the urge to laugh.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, can you use your Byakugan to see where they went?" Naruto asked his girlfriend.

"H-hai Naruto-kun." A small voice responded.

Sorami and Kakashis' eyes widened at each other. Their position was a little more than compromising.

They heard a gasp. Sorami's head fell onto Kakashi's shoulder in despair and she shook with silent laughter. Kakashi let his head fall back onto the brick wall.  
BUSTED.

"Did you see something Hinata-chan!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Ahh... n-n-no!" Hinata piped.

"Oh. Alright. We'll keep looking I guess."

Both Kakashi and Sorami had thoughts along the same lines:

"_Bless that poor Hinata Hyuga."_

* * *

Sorami rolled over and stretched her arm out across the bed.

Feeling nothing underneath her hand she opened her eyes and looked around: she was really getting quite used to waking up in Kakashi's apartment, but usually she woke up next to him.

She spotted him cooking something on the stove.

"Mmm... it's nice to wake up to a shirtless man cooking breakfast." Sorami purred.  
"I must say this domestic side of you is pretty sexy, if you were wearing an apron I think I'd have to jump you right there."

"Hmm, sadly I don't own any aprons." Kakashi mused.

She walked up and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head on his bare shoulder blades.  
"That's very sad indeed. So what's the occasion? Usually you're in such a rush to leave you don't even think about breakfast." She watched as he flipped a pancake in his skillet.

"Ahh well this morning I don't have any duties. I thought we might have a slow morning together… spend some time... because I have a bit of bad news."

Sorami's arms fell from around him limply.  
"Oh no. 'Bad News Breakfast'? That's the worst meal of the day..." Sorami groaned and hopped up to sit on his counter.

He looked at her sitting in her overly large shirt looking depressed and gave her a light kiss before handing her a plate of pancakes.

"It's not so bad. I just received word this morning from the Hokage: our team has received a mission, we leave this afternoon.  
She wanted team eight but they're away on another mission.  
We have to investigate some missing children in an eastern village; a wealthy lord has hired us to find them. It's probably just some runaway kids; they'll be tracked down easily enough."

"But you **all** have to go? Sai, Sakura, you **and** Naruto?" Sorami asked forlornly muffled through bites of breakfast.

"We're a team, that's how it works." Kakashi smiled.

"I guess. That guy must be worried about his kids." Sorami pondered aloud as she set aside her plate and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"We'll find them." He placed a kiss on the top of her head.

* * *

The team all gathered at the village gates and Sorami walked up with Kakashi hand in hand.

"You're late." Sai stated.

"Yeah! And you owe us money!" Naruto accused.

Kakashi raised his hands up in surrender.  
"Aww come now, can't you treat your dear old sensei to a meal once in a while?" He asked innocently.

"You're not that old." Sakura grumbled.

"And you're not that dear either." Naruto added, disgruntled.

Sorami chuckled slightly; she let her hand fall from Kakashi's.  
"You mad at me too Naruto?" Sorami gave him a small pout and puppy dog eyes.

"Nah! I could never stay mad at you Sorami-chan!" Naruto gave her a grin and hugged her shoulders.

"Hey, how come she gets special treatment?" Kakashi complained.

"She's Sorami-chan, duh." Naruto stuck his tongue out at him.

"But I'm Kakashi-kun." He replied sweetly.

The group laughed.

"So you guys are all leaving me huh?" Sorami asked miserably.

"Ah don't worry Sorami-chan! We'll be back in no time, you'll see! This mission is cake!" Naruto gave her shoulders a jostle.

"We're scheduled to be back by this time next week, we might even finish sooner. With work and stuff you probably won't even notice we're gone." Sakura proclaimed cheerfully.

"Well I'm going to miss you all anyway." Sorami said to the group.

She walked over to Sakura and gave her a hug goodbye, and then walked over to Sai.

He stuck out his hand and gave her a fake smile.  
She grabbed it, pulled him into a hug, and squeezed him.  
"Feel the love. Feel the loooove."

"I believe the feeling I would have would be labeled 'awkward'."

Sorami laughed and walked over to Kakashi to give him a goodbye kiss.

"BLECH! ACK! EWW!" Naruto screeched as he shielded his eyes from the sight and made gagging noises.

"Come here you!" Sorami tackled him with a hug and he smiled hugely.

She held him for a while longer.

"Be safe sweetheart." She whispered earnestly.

He gave her a squeeze and lifted her up.

"Always!" He laughed and let her down.

They walked away and Sorami watched them sadly, tightening her coat to protect her from the chilly autumn wind.


	24. The Rabbit Hole

Tsunade yawned as it was getting late: she had just spent the last two hours looking over the mission reports from the previous week. Things seemed to be going well: there had been fewer injuries on missions lately, revenue was streaming in at a stable pace, and her sources indicated that the Akatsuki had slowed its movement considerably since losing some of its members to the Leaf.

A knock sounded at the door.  
"Yes, what is it?" Tsunade questioned tiredly.

Shizune peaked her head through the door.

"An anbu team has just returned to the village and is here for debriefing Tsunade-sama." Shizune announced.

"Is that all?" Tsunade groaned.  
"Listen, it's too late in the evening for that Shizune: it's nearly two a.m., I'm tired, and I want to get some sleep. Just tell them to file a written report and I'll look it over in the morning." Tsunade grumbled, waving her off.

"But Tsunade-sama! This is the team that is heading the investigation of the scroll theft! You told them only to report directly to you on this matter, remember? You wanted to keep these affairs discrete and wanted no wind of this to leek to the public or the elders. You must see them." Shizune said sternly.

"… Right, right. In that case, send them in I suppose." Tsunade sighed waving her off again lazily.

Shizune exited quickly and a masked team entered after her momentarily.

Tsunade became serious.

"You are returning from investigating the thief's last known location, if I'm not mistaken. I'm assuming that was in the Land of Lightning where the team was incapacitated. What have you found?"

Their team leader stepped forward.  
"Unfortunately your ladyship there was not much to be found. The coordinates that were supplied to us by Kakashi held little evidence of there ever even being a conflict.

When we searched the area it was clean; not a single footprint. We started to believe we were sent to the wrong location until we found a large area of charred forestry. I recalled in Kakashi's account that the thief had set off a large explosion: the location of the blast sight and the burnt forest coincided, so we were convinced we were in the right place.

The only problem was that it didn't look like a blast sight. The area of burnt forest was too large for the explosion described, the trees were charred evenly and most of them were standing upright: we couldn't find many that were uprooted and slanted as is the norm with explosions.  
We found a makeshift fire pit with an authentic site of ignition and the flame patterning was all wrong: it looked as if the fire had started like an accidental brushfire. After some deliberation we concluded that the assailant had reproduced a fire to create the illusion that it was accidental in the hopes of interfering with investigative efforts. In short: this perpetrator is doing everything in his power to cover his tracks Hokage-sama. I am deeply sorry but there is little more to tell."

Tsunade spun her chair and turned away from the group gravely.  
"Kuso! The letter analysts haven't found anything either." She hissed quietly.  
"What of the descriptions we sent out and the sketches? Has anyone responded with any information?" She inquired briskly.

The anbu captain gave a reluctant pause.  
"….There has been none Lady Hokage. From what we gather no one has ever seen or heard of this culprit. I'm sorry."

Tsunade closed her eyes in frustration.  
"If that is all, you are dismissed. Contact me the instant you find out any information." Tsunade stated vacantly.

"Hai Tsunade-sama." The leader said sullenly before bowing and the team exited silently.

Tsunade stood and walked over to the window behind her desk. She slammed the side of her fist on the cool glass, shaking it; she then narrowed her eyes and stared angrily out into the darkness.

"Where in the world are you?" She whispered venomously.

* * *

The last quarter moon hung brightly in the night sky and bathed the rooftops of Konoha in its ghostly light. The hour was late and the whole city was hushed and still, the only life seemed to be in the few clouds drifting across the sky.

A dark cloud passed over the moon and shrouded the village in darkness. When the moon reappeared the orb's light reflected across the smooth surface of a mask: half white, half black, with silver gracing the eyes.

The masked figure moved fluidly back into the cover of shadow and stood perfectly still blending with the darkness.

A ninja squad jumped across the rooftops overhead; the thief watched as they leaped further and further away, waiting minutes before continuing onward stealthily.

The masked one crept swiftly, dashing between shadows and moving carefully to avoid detection.

Several minutes passed and the dark figure slowed pace, reaching the desired destination.

It was a large building with walls of the thickest stone; it looked as if it could withstand any attack.  
The thief was crouched at the east end of the impenetrable Anbu headquarters.

The thief pondered the building a moment.  
"_There's absolutely no way in through the front entrance, to attempt it would be suicide under any conditions. These walls must be meters thick though, no windows to enter either, heaven knows what other precautions the Anbu took to safeguard their headquarters."_

The thief gathered blue chakra in a gloved hand and slowly placed it on the wall's surface. The glowing chakra seemed to spread across the wall and illuminated hundreds of shapes, symbols, and words written on and within the stone.  
_  
"Man look at all these seals! As if this wasn't enough of a pain already. I can't possibly deactivate them all..."  
_  
The theif stared at the wall angrily and watched the symbols fade back to gray._  
"I'll have to create a way around them..."_

The thief stood and removed the glove from the left hand and sliced a finger with a kunai, producing blood.

The masked one drew nine symbols on the wall: three in the shape of Orion's belt over the masked head, two symbols adjacent to the elbows, two at the knees, and then another two at the feet.

Finally, a line was drawn connecting all off the freshly drawn symbols in the shape of a doorway.

The masked one then removed the other glove from the left hand and drew a final symbol in blood on the bare palm.

The thief winced before carving a thin line in the skin down the center, dividing the symbol in two. The theif then slammed the bloody palm onto the wall in the center of the formation.

For a moment nothing happened.  
The thief was perturbed, not to mention a little light headed from all the blood that was required for this jutsu, but kept pumping chakra into the wall through the gash in the palm.

After a short while the wall lit up in blue chakra again, revealing the hidden seals within. They did mot dissipate, however they began to slowly move away from the masked one's hand. After another minute all the previous symbols had clustered behind the line of blood the masked one had adorned on the wall.

The thief released the hand from the concrete, wrapped the hands in gauze and put the gloves back on.  
_  
_The mask one did a set of familiar hand seals.  
A hand was placed on the wall again but this time when the thief applied pressure the hand melded with the stone barrier as if it were liquid.

A minute later the mask reemerged on the wall inside the compound.  
The thief gazed around a dark and deserted stone hallway before deciding the coast was clear and detached from the stone mass completely.

The thief crouched low and prowled with soundless footsteps through the compound for hours, traveling down the stairs and wandering halls struggling to avoid detection, until finally finding the way into the restricted basement archives.

With practiced hands, the thief opened the bolted door then meandered the rows of shelves scanning the names of files.

A few caught the masked one's eyes and the thief casually sat down and flipped though the documents sometimes making disapproving noises or even a chuckle here and there.

Some had interesting jutsu, the others were historical reports of events in the leaf village, and the most interesting were bios on leaf shinobi.

As the thief was inspecting a most interesting profile on the yellow haired fox boy, first encountered in the forest, a thought struck the shrouded one and the thief swiftly rose.

The bandit began searching for something along the stacks of information.

Finally the masked one stopped abruptly finding the desired name printed on a label and grabbed the folder.

The silent one flipped through the pages quickly assessing the information, but after a moment slapped the folder shut resignedly.

These weren't the target documents.

The thief began to peruse the records' names but again found nothing of use._  
"This can't be it…the report would be much more detailed for something of this magnitude… Something like that would have so much more investigation done…it doesn't make sense… there's got to be more…but where is it?"_

The thief began to place documents back in their original locations, but the mysteriously incomplete folder tugged at the back of the quiet one's mind.

"_ …The only reason they would keep information out is if they were trying to hide something…but this is the classified section of the anbu headquarters! How much more secret does it get?  
Let's see…if I were to hide something and I didn't want it to be found where would I hide it?  
…Well when I don't want something to be found I bury it.  
Murderers bury bodies, pirates bury treasure, secret government facilities bury secret government documents…  
Makes sense to me…"_

The thief did hand signs and blue detecting chakra formed in the gloved hand, the thief placed it against the floor to detect chakra signatures bellow.  
For a moment nothing happened but then as the chakra sensed further down a weak response was felt.  
_"Bingo, we have a winner! Hmm it's not even attached to the anbu facility; it's at least half a mile down! You'd think a locked underground basement at the bottom of a maze would be enough but no! These leaf ninja just love to make things difficult…"_

The thief did familiar hand signs and melded with the floor. The masked one phased through solid rock and earth for what seemed like ages until reaching the new facility.

The masked face emerged from the stone ceiling of the new compound and looked around.  
_"Oh holy hell…__What is this place?_"  
The light-fingered one was faced with a gaping dark chasm filled with countless bridges with innumerable archways attached to the ends; a small number of mechanized ninja were walking the pathways.

The thief had unwittingly stumbled upon the ROOT facility.

"…_ pick a door any door…How the hell am I supposed to find the confidential records room of THIS place? I can't keep searching and hiding like this, it's too much for one night …I think this particular rabbit hole will need to be saved for another day…"_  
With that the thief reintegrated with the stone.


	25. Lost and Found

**AN: **Heads up this chapter has some violence ahead

* * *

Shikamaru stared at the Shogi board in front of him with furrowed brows; he glanced up at his opponent who had her eyes closed and was smiling serenely.

He made his move.

"I really didn't believe you would be much of a match when I first met you, but I've got to admit: you're alright."

Sorami opened her eyes to look at where he placed his piece and smiled.

"Well thank you; I've had a lot of practice."

She moved her piece towards his.

"Oh?"

He quickly took down her piece.

She contemplated his move.

"Yeah, I lived on this farm and during the winter, when I couldn't work out in the fields, the only things there to occupy my time were books and an old Shogi board, so I played a lot. I used to play with the man who took care of me then, but I haven't practiced much since he died: you're probably the best contender I've played in a long while."

She smiled triumphantly as she took one of his major pieces.

Shikamaru blinked rapidly at the board.

"You don't say... before he passed, my old sensei and I used to play a lot in our downtime between missions. It sort of helped create foundation for strategic battle plans."

Shikamaru now started to move his pieces from a defensive to an offensive position.

Sorami tilted her head to look at the board.

"I suppose Shogi is a form of battle, huh? Each player with its strengths and weaknesses supporting the whole, like shinobi teams... oh... speaking of which... what day is it today? Friday?"

Sorami advanced her piece.

"No it's Saturday." Shikamaru replied absently as he decided whether or not it was worth the risk to capture the piece she just moved.

Sorami looked up from the board suddenly.  
"Saturday?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, why?" He looked up at her as she started to gather her bag.

"Sorry Shikamaru! I've got to go, it was fun!" She got up and dusted herself off before rushing down his porch steps grinning widely.

"Hey, we haven't even finished yet!" He called to her as she made her way to the garden gate.

"Let's just call it a draw, or I forfeit or something! We'll play again some other time! See ya around!" She yelled happily running down the path and out of his sight.

Shikamura sighed.

"What a drag. It was an okay game."

* * *

Sorami ran as fast as she could down the dirt road towards the village gates.

The past week seemed to have crawled by without her favorite shinobi team.

She kept herself busy with work and visiting the casual acquaintances she had met, but she still felt lonely without them and was excited for their return.

She practically slammed into the guard outpost when she arrived; two shinobi stared at her quizzically.

She paused and caught her breath.

"Umm hi! I was just wondering: do you know if team Kakashi has returned yet? Have you seen them?"

"Uhh no, we haven't seen them." One of the men said.

"Hold on, I'll check the lists." The other man replied while flipping through a clipboard.

"Nope. The team hasn't checked in. They are scheduled back today though, pretty soon actually. Would you like us to send a message to you when they get in?"

"Oh no, that's alright! I can just wait for them here."

"You sure? It could be a while, sending a message would be no hassle." The other man offered.

"No, I'd rather be here and see them first thing when they return. But thank you though." She replied cheerily.

It was already past four in the afternoon; Sorami was sure they'd be back before sunset.

She stood and stared out at the road and waited... and waited... and waited.

A half an hour passed and she leaned against the gate.

"The offer still stands!" One of the guards called to her from the desk.

"No, I'm fine!" Sorami called back, flashing him a reassuring smile.

She was a patient person; she could wait; besides she didn't really have anything better to do at the moment.

So she waited some more.

Another hour passed.

She slid down the wall and sat on the grass hugging her knees to her chest and resting her head on top.

The sun had set and it was starting to get cold.

She heard a pair of footsteps walking towards her and she looked up.

"Ma'am, although your dedication is admirable, you should probably go home... teams get delayed all the time. They've probably stopped at an inn along the way or something and will be back tomorrow." One of the guards assured her kindly.

The other guard held his hand out to her to help her up.

"Our shift is over; if you'd like we can escort you." He smiled warmly at the civilian woman.

Sorami sighed heavily.

"You're probably right; I guess waiting for them was a silly idea. Oh, there's no need, I live close by, but thank you for the offer."

They parted ways and Sorami walked slowly down the path alone crunching dead leaves under her boots.

She sighed dejectedly

"Where are you guys?"

* * *

Sorami woke and sat straight up as she heard the sound of wood scraping against the floor.

It had come from the kitchen; she crawled to the end of her bedding to look down the dark hall to see what had caused the noise.

In the dim moonlight she could scarcely make out the shape of a tall figure with spiky hair.  
She smiled.

_"Naruto."_

She guessed he had gotten back late from his mission; it was midnight and almost pitch black in the small apartment.

A slur of hissed curses met her ears.

She figured his eyes hadn't grown accustomed to the darkness and he had stubbed his toe on the wooden table, causing her to wake.

She watched as he kicked the table harshly in anger and stomped down the hall towards their room.

She smiled ready to greet him, but was quickly interrupted as a backpack was violently thrown at her.

"Ahh!"

Naruto pulled out a kunai and took a defensive stance.

"Naruto? A-are you alright?" Sorami asked cautiously. She knew stubbing your toe hurt, but what was with all the hostility?

He relaxed slightly and withdrew his weapon.

"Oh. Sorami. I forgot you were here. Go back to sleep." Sorami watched as he mechanically made his way to his bed and pulled the covers over himself.

Something was wrong.  
_"What's going on? First he comes in here trying to destroy everything in sight, and then he's so tense he almost attacks me! He forgot I was here? And the things he said, he didn't add chan to my name, his voice sounds so hollow, the words sound forced, so... un-Naruto-like. Something is troubling him."_

Sorami stood up and came to sit on his bed, laying her hand gently on his side.

"Sweetie, are you alright?"

He shied away from her touch and pulled the covers tighter around him.

"I'm fine. Just... go to sleep." His voice was filled with suppressed emotion and Sorami's brow furrowed.

"Naruto, please. Please just talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. You know you can tell me anything. I can try and help." Sorami said soothingly.

Naruto rose suddenly to look at her.

"That's just it! You can't help! No matter how hard you try you can't! No matter what I do it'll never be good enough!" He yelled angrily but a tear escaped his eye and he wiped at it furiously.

Sorami stopped his hand wiping at his face and held fast to it.

"Naruto, tell me what happened." She said earnestly.

Naruto leaned his head against her shoulder and she felt damp spots begin to seep into the cloth of her shirt.

"They thought they ran away... they didn't! He took them! So many. From villages all over! Ten!"

Sorami was confused and took several moments to piece together his words, she then remembered the mission Kakashi described.

"Those children you were trying to find: they were kidnapped? And there were more when you found the culprit?"

A set of tremors ran through Naruto's body as he cried and she held him closer.

"We found his hideout. I'm so glad we made Sakura wait outside on guard... she didn't see...  
It was the basement... there was blood everywhere, body parts on the ground…  
an arm…a-a finger… the rotting stench mixed with iron.  
There were these kids chained, and when we came... the man was... he was with a little girl... and... he was..." Naruto fell to the side and wretched onto the floor.

"Oh god."

Sorami's eyes filled with tears as she realized what Naruto was saying and she too felt the urge to vomit.

"I saw everything... at first I couldn't even understand. I just saw it in parts: the blood, the kids crying in the corner... they looked so scared Sorami-chan... Then I heard the little girl screaming and looked over..."

Naruto was shaking non-stop; Sorami pulled the blanket around him and held him tighter.

"He was on top of her... the thing he was about to do...  
I didn't even think... I just tore him off of her and started beating him.  
I kept going and going.  
Even when I saw the blood on my fists: I couldn't stop.  
Kakashi-sensei had to pull me away and place a seal on me when all I was beating anymore was bloody concrete...

They were just little kids...  
Little boys and girls. I don't... I don't understand! THAT SICK FREAK!  
I had never really killed before but... they were so small... how could that happen to them?  
… I don't understand...

After, we returned the remaining missing kids to their homes we investigated him and there was a list of names... there were ten. We saved seven... but... the other three…" Naruto cried harder.

"He did such awful things to them...then he killed them... how can that happen?"

Naruto cried harder in Sorami's arms and she cried as well rocking slowly.

They stayed that way for minutes on end: Naruto crying, Sorami holding and soothing him.

"I killed him.  
I want to kill him again and again.  
I killed him with my bare hands, but it doesn't make it any better!  
It doesn't undo what he did! I couldn't protect them! I didn't know! I wasn't there! I don't know what to do! It wasn't enough!" He screamed into her shoulder in frustration.

Sorami rocked him and smoothed back his hair.

"Shhhhh Naruto, shhh. It's okay. You did the right thing. You did all you could. You saved so many. Shhhh."

Naruto breathed in her comforting scent and held her close.

"Sorami-chan why?" Naruto's voice croaked out.

Sorami held him tighter and looked up to the ceiling, tears stinging her eyes.

"Sometimes there is no "why" Naruto. Evil exists. Evil has no reason. But you are there to try to stop that. Even though you feel like you failed, you didn't honey. You can't think that. You can't protect everyone everywhere, it's impossible.

But you do help, you do. Take comfort in the fact that you saved those children. You saved so many.  
I'm so proud of you. You did well Naruto, that man is gone now. He can't hurt anyone anymore thanks to you."

Naruto sniffed loudly and his breathing became steadier.

"Kakashi-sensei said that too. He said, 'as shinobi, we bear the burden of walking through the darkness of this world so we can uphold the light for others.' I will protect everyone. I swear it..." He finished in a whisper.

It seemed as though his energy was stolen at that thought; his breathing deepened and became more rhythmic as he fell asleep in Sorami's arms.

"Naruto... I wish you didn't have to see those things... You shouldn't have to bear that burden… I want so badly to protect _you_." Sorami whispered to him, kissing his forehead.

She lied down and held him close as she fell asleep as well.

* * *

Naruto awoke slowly: he felt like he had been asleep for years.

When he opened his eyes he found his head resting against Sorami's shoulder, her hand cradled his head and her other arm held his back.  
She held him so protectively, as if she were guarding him from all the troubles of this world.

Even though she was so small and so gentle, Naruto couldn't help but feel safer than he had ever felt in his life.

She had stayed with him the entire night, comforting him. Before now, if he had ever had troubles he would come home and be alone with his sorrow, but now she was there for him; she refused to let him be alone.

He started to squirm out of her grasp gently, trying not to wake her.

Unfortunately her protective embrace had a vice like grip on him, as he struggled out of her grasp she awoke with a start.

"Oh sweetie, what's going on?" She asked worriedly as he moved out of her reach.

"Nothing Sorami-chan, you can go back to sleep. I'm just going to train." Naruto said, gathering his things.

"Training? Today? I mean…. after yesterday… don't you want a break or something?" Sorami pleaded for his sake.

Naruto blinked at her.

"No, it's already been scheduled. I can't change it now, shinobi always have to train. And besides, I have to get stronger. I have to protect those who can't protect themselves… like those kids yesterday… I have to get stronger so I can be Hokage. When I am Hokage I'll use my power and do my best to prevent those kinds of tragedies..." He walked out the door without another word.

_"Naruto…You shouldn't blame yourself…you shouldn't have to place that entire burden onto your shoulders…" _ Sorami thought woefully.

She walked out of the front door and leaned on the apartment railing tiredly.

She watched Naruto disappear around the corner and sighed heavily, redirecting her attention to the two neighbor children she had befriended playing ball in the street again.

_"He's only sixteen! The only things he should be worrying about now are girls and acne!…But here he is being forced to witness all this chaos and unimaginable violence then he puts it on himself to put an end to it…it's just too much pressure for one kid!…And even after he's been broken down and emotionally wrecked he just has to move on to the next training session without any time for himself… he seemed so different this morning… so serious and withdrawn…"  
_Sorami banged her fist on the rail and stood upright vehemently._  
"They're going to ruin him! I won't stand for it! Give the kid a break! He deserves it! I have to do something! But what exactly can I do…those bureaucrats have him training all the time…"_

She bit down on her thumb in thought and continued watching the two children playing below. An idea struck her and she quickly made her way down the stairs and up to the boys.

"Hi Sorami-chan!" the little one said.  
"Ohayo Seina-kun! Hey Satoshi-kun could you do me a huge favor?" She asked the elder of the two.

"Yeah of course!" Satoshi replied enthusiastically.  
"Yeeeeah he'd do **anything** for you Sorami-chaaaan!" Seina teased making kissing noises at his older brother. Satoshi blushed before thumping his sibling on the head.

"W-what did you need?" He asked bashfully.

"Well last time we talked you said you were in the Ninja Academy right? …Well I was just wondering… you wouldn't happen to have been taught that whole transformation technique yet, have you?" She asked, trying to seem casual.

"Yeah actually I have! In fact Kigame-sensei says I have the best transformation in the whole class!" Satoshi puffed out his chest proudly and his younger brother rolled his eyes.

"Oh that's fantastic! You wouldn't mind showing me would you? Could you …let's say… change into that guy over there?" Sorami pointed to a man down the street.

"Piece of cake!" Satoshi did the hand symbols and changed into a perfect replica of the gentleman.

Sorami walked around him, inspecting, then wolf whistled.

"Spectacular! You got him down to a T! …Remarkable really…"

Satoshi blushed at her compliments and smiled hugely before returning to his normal image.

"Anyway, about that favor: it's really important and totally top secret 'kay?…" He nodded and Sorami leaned down to whispered into his ear.

He blushed at her proximity but listened to her intently.

"…

Uh-huh….

Yeah….

Uh o-okay…

W-what?

I don't know if I can use it for that! I might get in trouble!" Satoshi backed away.

Sorami pouted and gave him her patented giant, shimmering, puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh pleeeeeease Satoshi-kuuuuuun! It would mean so very much to me! It's all in good fun and there's almost no way you can get caught! Pleeeease!"

"I don't know…" He said uncertainly.

She grasped his hand between hers.

"Pretty please, it would **really** help me out…please do it… for me?"

Her lower lip trembled dramatically and if it was possible her eyes got even wider and shinier than before.

Satoshi blushed darker.

"Y-yeah, okay… I guess if it really means that much to you." He mumbled reluctantly.

"Thank you so, so much! You are such a sweetheart." Sorami gave him a light peck on the cheek and he froze in shock.

"Alright so remember to meet me here tomorrow, bright and early and I'll give you the details." She reminded him as she walked back to the apartment.

He stood with a blush marring his face.  
"What did she ask you to do?" Seina asked. There was no response.

"What did she ask you to dooo? Hellooooooo!" He waved a hand in front of his brother's face.

* * *

Sakura sat down on her couch with her tea, trying to relax before her rounds at the hospital.  
She cracked open a medical text book and started to read, but as she skimmed along the section on the pulmonary system her mind wandered back to the mission two days ago.

Ever since that mission, every time she tried to heal a patient, the image of the children she had healed after being beaten and tortured haunted her. She just couldn't seem to keep focused.

A knock at the door tore her from her mulling: for once it was a welcome distraction.

She answered the door and was greeted by a chunin she didn't recognize.  
"Ahem, Sakura Haruno?" the chunin asked.

"Yes that's me. How can I help you?"

"I have a message from the Hokage for you: she told me to inform you that the hospital is overstaffed today and won't be requiring your services."

"…Huh…that's odd… I thought Shizune had done appropriate scheduling of the staff … I'll just talk to Tsunade-sama about it when I train with her this afternoon I suppose..." Sakura thought aloud.

"Er—No!" the chunin exclaimed hurriedly, Sakura raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uhh… what I meant to say was that uh… Hokage-sama also told me to tell you that she will be unable to train with you today… because she's very busy…with uh… Hokage stuff…" He said uneasily.

Sakura gave him an incredulous look, crossed her arms, and leaned against the doorframe.

"Hokage stuff"… really now? And I'm supposed to believe that?" She replied dryly.

The chunin began sweating and looked extremely nervous.

Sakura sighed and shrugged.  
"Hokage stuff" Pfft! Yeah right! That's probably just code for she's going to get drunk and nap all day! Ugh well there go my plans for today! Well anyway thanks for the message..." Sakura began to close the door.

"Oh wait! One more thing! I almost forgot! Here. Lady Tsunade said it was a message from Jiraiya-sama for Uzumaki Naruto and she wanted you to deliver it to him." He handed her an envelope.

Sakura looked up at him skeptically.  
"No offense, but wouldn't it make more sense for you to deliver it while you're out?" Sakura suggested.

He looked confused and nervous again.

"I uh…I… I don't know… I'm just doing what she told me to do!" The chunin broke down, hanging his head low.

Sakura sighed.  
"Yeah I get it. No worries, I'll deliver it to him. Have a nice day." She waved.  
"Probably drunk off her ass already!" Sakura mumbled as she closed the door,

Once the door closed the unknown chunin gave a heavy sigh of relief and walked down the street, he did a release hand sign and turned into a young academy boy: Satoshi.

"The things I do for love…"

* * *

"Good morning Naruto!" Sorami said cheerfully as the blonde walked into the kitchen.  
"Morning." He replied hollowly.

Sorami frowned slightly but continued on.  
"Well, I hope you're hungry! I've made you a big breakfast so you'll have plenty of energy; you'll need it because today I've planned a little hike for us out near the mountains! I think it'll be good, a break from all this hustle and bustle, clear our minds a bit. I've even made us a picnic lunch for later!" She held up a whicker basket to him.

He looked at it confusedly before walking past her.  
"Sorami-chan, I thought I told you yesterday: I have training today with Jiraiya."

Sorami frowned again.  
"Oh is that what you said? Silly me, I guess I'll just ask Sakura if she'd like to go. Oh but I really wanted you to be there. You sure you can't get training off?"

"Nope, thanks for making breakfast, but I gotta go." He picked up a piece of toast from the side of the plate and headed for the door. Sorami had noticed he had a loss of appetite recently.

Sorami ran and blocked his exit.  
"WAIT! Can't you stick around for just a little bit?" She pleaded nervously.

"Nah, I don't want to be late." He gently moved her to the side.

"Erruhh-I'll walk with you then!" She said hastily.

"Okay I guess." He shrugged.

As they walked out of the apartment building Sorami saw Satoshi walking towards his building.  
Behind Naruto's back Sorami gave him a questioning look. Satoshi responded with a weak smile and then gave her a thumbs-up as he sweat dropped.

She returned a giant grin and two thumbs up before linking her arm with Naruto's and continuing their walk silently.

After a few minutes Sorami started to gently lead Naruto by the arm down the street.

"Sorami-chan, the training grounds are in the other direction." He mentioned.

"Oh…well yes, I know …I was just hoping you would walk me over to Sakura's!" She said airily.

"Sorami-chan, I really need to get to training." Naruto sighed, pulling away.

"It won't take that long, I swear!" She grunted, desperately yanking at his arm until a flash of pink across the road caught her eye.

"Oh wait, there Sakura is now!" She led him over to the pink haired teen.

"Ohayo Sakura!" Sorami greeted cheerily.

"Good morning. Wow, its so weird bumping in to you like this: I was actually heading over to your apartment just now."

"Really? My, my! How strange indeed! I was just coming to see you, to ask you if you wanted go on a picnic with me!" Sorami said, pretending to be shocked.

"Yeah, my plans fell through today, so that actually sounds kind of nice. Oh Naruto, the reason I was going to visit: Tsunade-sama wanted me to deliver this message to you." She handed him over the small envelope.

He tore it open and read its contents:  
_"Hey kid, I'm canceling for today.  
Some important research came up. _

_See ya around!  
-The great, legendary toad sage, world famous author, and all around ladies' man: _

_Jiraiiiiyaaaaa!"_

Naruto crumpled up the paper and stuffed it into his pocket agitatedly.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Sorami asked innocently.

"That perv! Always with the "research!" He's cancelled training **again**!" He growled.

"Aww that really is too bad! But hey! Look on the bright side! I'm free, Sakura is free, and now you're free! Would you look at that! What **are** the odds? Now we can all go out for a fun day together! What a totally fortuitous, happy coincidence!" She smiled cheekily then grabbed both of their arms and gleefully walked them up the road.

(S/L: Weezer- Island in the Sun [Break])

They hiked up the Hokage Mountain and to the forest beyond it, coming to a stop at a small clearing by a river.

"Ugg Sorami-chan that hike took **forever**! If you had just let me carry you we would have gotten here in no time flat!" Naruto whined.

Sakura rolled her eyes.  
"Oh come on Naruto, I thought it was nice: when you always rush everywhere you tend to forget how beautiful our village is." She remarked calmly.

"Yeah I guess that's true, and the view from the top of the Hokages was amazing." Naruto grinned.

"It was breathtaking…" Sorami commented.  
"So are you guys hungry? I know I am!" She pulled out a blanket from her basket, laid it on the ground and set up the food.

They sat down, ate and chatted happily, forgetting all their troubles.

* * *

When only a few crumbs remained of the food Sorami sat back and watched Naruto and Sakura interact animatedly.  
"_There they are. That's the Naruto and Sakura I know and love. This break was exactly what they needed, I'm sure of it."_

She stood up and started taking off her clothes.

"Sorami-chan what **are** you doing?" Naruto yelled, shielding his eyes.

"Naruto its fine, look!" She pointed at herself and laughed.  
As Naruto peeked through his fingers he found she had been wearing a black one piece bathing suit under her clothes.

"It's such a beautiful day; it's surprisingly warm for fall! It would be a shame if we didn't go for a swim in the river!" Sorami exclaimed excitedly.

"Well yeah, but we didn't bring our bathing suits Sorami." Sakura stated, gesturing to herself and Naruto.

"Oh come on; live a little! Just go in your knickers! It's almost exactly the same thing! They cover the same parts of your body!" Sorami laughed and started skipping towards the river.

"No way Sorami-chan, you go and have fun, Sakura-chan and I will just stay here." Naruto laughed.

"Don't tell me your scared Naruto! Scared of a wittle water Nawuto-kun? Chicken! Bok bok bok bukawwwk!" Sorami teased, clucking like a chicken at him, before jumping into the river.

Naruto laughed at her display.

"No way! Let's go Sakura!" Naruto stripped down to his boxers and ran over to Sorami, splashing into the bank.

"You're both totally nuts, I'm not going into that river in nothing but my underwear!" Sakura scoffed.

"Don't be such a spoil sport! The water's great!" Sorami shouted to her.

"Yeah come on, don't sit out there all by yourself!" Naruto called.

"No way! I told you: I'm not going to strip!" Sakura shrieked indignantly.

"Oh please, it's just me and Naruto. Come on!" Sorami whined.

"Nu-uh!" Sakura huffed, childishly.

Sorami deflated, feeling slightly defeated, but a second later Naruto looked to her with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"So she doesn't want to go down to her undies: that's fine! She can just come in with all of her clothes!" Naruto whispered conspiratorially.

Sorami grinned hugely and they huddled together to formulate a plan.

_"What are they doing over there? They're just crouched together giggling… what are they up to?" _Sakura wondered, but as she focused on the huddling pair she failed to notice the Naruto shadow clone behind her.

He scooped her up, hauled her over his shoulder and dashed madly towards the water.  
"NARUTO! YOU WOULDN'T **DARE**!" Sakura screeched angrily, flailing against him.

But by the end of her sentence Naruto had already thrown her out and into the river.

She resurfaced and sputtered, seeing Naruto and Sorami doubled over, laughing hysterically.

"**NARUTOOOO!**" She swam over to him and dunked his head under the water in anger.

Naruto struggled, his arms thrashing about at the water's surface, but Sakura would not let up as he frantically drowned.

At their display Sorami only laughed even harder.  
"_They really are like brother and sister!_

Sakura finally let him go and he emerged from the water with a huge gasp.

"You almost killed me!" He squeaked and grasped his throat.

"Consider yourself lucky I didn't, you baka!" Sakura yelled as she splashed him playfully.

"You know you secretly wanted to come in! I just gave you a little push!" Naruto splashed her back. They started having a water fight and Sorami was getting soaked.

"Hey watch that crossfire!" She sputtered; the two teens looked at her.

"Hey Sakura-chan, it was all Sorami-chan's idea anyway!" Naruto pointed accusingly.

"What! Was not!" Sorami splashed Naruto.

"Don't you act like you had nothing to do with it you sneaky devil!" Sakura laughed and splashed the teal haired woman.

They all glanced at each other for a moment before starting an epic splashing war.

* * *

Kakashi honestly did not mind being called away from his boring, D rank, solo mission, but he was curious as to why he had been called in to the Hokage's office on such short notice.

_"I haven't done anything wrong…  
recently…  
…or have I?" _He wondered silently before knocking briskly on the door.

"Enter!" Came a bark from inside.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed, he then noticed a man standing next to her.  
"Jiraiya-sama?" He was leaning on the window frame, looking out of it solemnly.

"Ah Kakashi, you're here. Good. We have some serious business to discuss." Tsunade stated authoritatively.  
"This morning Sakura did not arrive for rounds at the hospital, I did not think much of it until later she did not show up for training as well. Then Jiraiya here bursts into my office in a huff complaining that Naruto too was absent from training. I sent officers to both of their residences and they were completely empty. There was no trace of forced entry, and we doubt there has been an infiltration in the village, but we can never be too sure. I've already sent a couple of shinobi out to search, but I would like you and your team of tracking hounds to start looking for them and bring them back immediately. Is this understood?" Tsunade said seriously.

"Hai, rest assured Lady Hokage." He quickly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Naruto was slowly drifting asleep as he sunbathed on the top of a large boulder on the edge of the river. He felt completely at peace: he felt the smooth face of the rock warmed from the sun's rays beneath him, and the light breeze above him keeping him cool. The sensation was so comforting it was lulling him to sleep.

Sakura too was lounging in the sun a few feet away from him after laying out her soaked clothes to dry on the rock.

Below them Sorami floated on her back on top of the water's surface: she drifted slowly and dreamily watched the clouds glide in the bright blue sky above her.

Suddenly her vision was blocked by a head of silver hair.  
"So sorry to disturb you all, but I've been sent urgently by the Hokage to retrieve you." Kakashi declared, irritated. .

Sorami jolted up and away from the shinobi standing atop the water.

Naruto awoke from his daydream groggily.  
"Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura started to gather her clothes.  
"Urgently?" What's happened? What's wrong?" She tossed her shirt on hastily.

"What's **happened** is you both decided to skip your training today and disappeared without telling anyone. They started to think you both had been kidnapped." Kakashi explained exasperatedly.

Sorami sunk into the water, only leaving the top half of her face exposed for breathing purposes.

Naruto just stared at him confusedly.

Sakura paused as she pulled on her boots.  
"What are you talking about sensei? Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama both canceled our training sessions!" Sakura rebutted.

"No, apparently not." Kakashi replied sternly.

"Yes they did, there was a chunin- he came to my door and relayed the message to me from the Hokage herself!" Sakura argued.

"Yeah and pervy sage wrote me a note saying he had "research" to do! It's in my pants pocket over there!" Naruto defended as he pointed to his pile of clothing next to the picnic blanket.

Kakashi walked over and searched the pockets, coming across the crinkled letter; he read it twice silently before sighing and addressing the two teens.

"This letter is fake Naruto: it was typed, not handwritten. There seems to have been some sort of misunderstanding, or someone has played a joke of some sort. Either way I suggest you two report in right away and explain what has happened; your masters have been concerned."

Both shinobi nodded and quickly started on their way: Sakura zipped up her boots and began jogging and Naruto simply scooped up his clothes and ran along side her in his boxer shorts.

Kakashi shook his head and watched them disappear down the path.

Sorami hadn't moved from her spot under the water, her eyes watching his back from just above the glassy surface.

"_Maybe if I don't move he'll just forget I'm here and leave."_

"Well then Sorami…" Kakashi drawled.

_"Damn it! Why doesn't that tactic ever work?"_ She thought angrily.

Kakashi turned around and looked condescendingly down at her in the water. She simply glared back up at him, not responding.

"I find it a little _unbelievable_… that you had all this planned out when you had no idea that Sakura and Naruto would be free today…"

Sorami raised herself from the water aggressively and waded to the edge of the river, not responding. He had just ruined her perfectly executed perfect day.

"It's a little strange that they both accidentally got training off today don't you think? Very ideal for your plans though…" He pried.

"What can I say? I guess I'm just lucky like that." She said dismissively, but Kakashi continued:

"…of all places to have a picnic you chose this completely remote location: far enough that it would be unlikely for someone to come out here to look for you, but close enough to be within the village limits…" Kakashi insinuated.

"I like privacy." She stated bluntly as she bent over and began wringing out her teal hair.

Kakashi walked up behind her.

"True enough, but what about the picnic? From the remains I could see there seemed to have been enough food for at least three people, if you didn't know Sakura and Naruto would be free, why pack that much?" Kakashi challenged.

Sorami whipped her damp hair at his face as she stood up.  
"Maybe I was just hoping they'd be free! And if I ended up alone? Hey, more for me right?" Sorami snapped at him.

"Sorami, you set this whole thing up, didn't you?" Kakashi accused.

"So what if I did? What's the big deal! They needed a break! If those drill sergeants won't give them one, then hell: I will!" She yelled back vehemently, staring him straight in the eye.

"You can't just interfere with shinobi proceedings! Do you know how much trouble you caused? I was called away from a mission for this! You're messing with things you don't understand." He replied forcefully.

Sorami walked up and got in his face, poking him in the chest.  
"**Oh yeah?** You know what **you people** don't understand! They are fucking sixteen years old! **Sixteen!**They are just kids! You people are working them to the bone and driving them into the ground! Give them a little time to be young! You don't even see them as people, you see them as tools in your military force, and I won't stand for it!" She bellowed.

"Sorami it's not your place to get involved with these kinds of things. A civilian can't understand. They may seem like kids, but they are full fledged shinobi, and you have to respect that! They are much more mature than the average teen and have experienced things way beyond their years. You can't treat them like children forever! This isn't just about right now, these are the lives they have chosen, and you have to let them live their lives!" Kakashi roared.

"Oh screw you! This **is** my place! It's my place as someone who cares deeply for them, regardless of my civilian status! And you just proved my whole point! You pretend they're not kids and then you force them into these awful situations! Making them murder and destroy, forcing them to witness all the evil of this world! Don't think I didn't hear about what happened on that mission two days ago! And you say these are the "lives they have chosen" Tell me, just **how **old are they when they "choose" these lives, huh? Six? Seven? Back when they think being a shinobi means being a superhero that beats all the "bad guys!" Sorami's face was flushed with anger and she glared at him with furrowed brows.

Kakashi stepped back and realized just how out of hand their argument had gotten: they had been truly yelling at each other. She had **actually** made him lose his cool. He took a deep breath and rethought his approach.

"It is wrong." Kakashi sighed and Sorami looked taken aback that he was agreeing with her.

"You're right: we shouldn't have to place them in these kinds of situations, and I really wish they didn't have to experience these kinds of things either. But the fact is we live in a ninja world: there are terrible things out there and you can't just shield them from Naruto and Sakura. I understand you want to protect them, but this isn't something you can change. Sakura and Naruto are great shinobi, and it is because of people like them that there is less evil in this world. You can't stop them from training and getting stronger. You know they don't have to train this hard if they don't want to: they choose to. They choose to train everyday because it's their dream to become great leaders and fighters. You can't stand in the way of their dreams Sorami."

Sorami looked away defeated, gathering her things.  
"…It isn't fair... They put so much pressure on themselves…  
I-I'm sorry; I was just trying to give them a break… Ever since that mission they've seemed so soulless…I just don't want to lose them…" Sorami said genuinely.

Kakashi nodded solemnly.  
"I understand your concern, it is reasonable. And I guess you're right: sometimes we do get so caught up in our world that we forget other things that are important. I wouldn't want Naruto or Sakura to change either… but how about next time you just try saying "hey, take it easy" Instead of abducting them and causing a village-wide manhunt?" Kakashi teased before wrapping an arm around her and kissing the top of her head.

"Right, right…" Sorami conceded.

A few moments of silence passed as they started to walk down the path towards the village.

A look of realization suddenly flashed across Sorami's face then melted into one of agitation.  
"…You know Kakashi, in the future: you can't end every argument we have by turning around and agreeing with me: it won't work every time!"

"Yeah you're probably right." Kakashi said amusedly.

"Stop agreeing with me!" Sorami shouted.

Kakashi laughed.

" …. You know there's one thing I can't figure out about this whole incident…  
Sakura said a chunin visited her.  
How did you pull that off?"

"You will never know.

I will take that secret to the grave."

Sorami smiled mischievously and they walked back down towards the village.


	26. Encounters

Sorami was in a good mood this day. In fact, you could say she was down-right chipper.

Earlier that day Naruto and Kakashi had come down to surprise her at work for lunch. The two favorite men in her life that could always bring a smile to her face had come all the way to the restaurant district to see her. She couldn't be happier.

She had introduced them both to Mina and Mrs. Kato and the group had gotten along swimmingly.

Sorami could tell that Mrs. Kato had taken a particular shine to Naruto: during their lunch she hadn't stopped yelling at him about his manners and his posture throughout the entire meal.

Naruto whined and hollered the whole way, but complied, trying to impress Sorami's boss.

In the end Mrs. Kato had begrudgingly admitted he was a "sweet little mongrel" and had even ordered a sweet cake for him after the meal.

Mina approved as well: she thought Naruto was hilarious and kept nudging Sorami, mouthing word "Smokin!" while secretly pointing at Kakashi.  
It made Sorami feel rather smug.  
Yes: her boyfriend was smokin' hot.

Yep today was a beautiful day: the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and everything in Sorami's life was in perfect harmony.

Well, that was until the bell above the café door chimed to signal another dinner customer: as Sorami turned around her stomach plummeted.

"_Of all the cafes, in all the world, she had to walk into mine." _Sorami thought woefully.

It was the spinster woman who had cruelly insulted Naruto in the supermarket a couple months ago.

Sorami considered her options:  
1) Beat the living daylights out of her… and get fired for killing a customer.  
2) Refuse to serve her and shove her out on her ass into the street… then get fired for turning away business and ruining the reputation of the cafe.  
3) Pretend to go nuts, flailing arms, screaming and hope she gets so scared that she leaves on her own… then probably get fired due to mental instability.

And lastly there was option number 4:  
Suck it up, play nice, and control herself because Sorami liked this job and her coworkers; she really didn't want to get fired.

There was no way around it really. It was just her luck as well; Mina had gone out to get supplies so she couldn't even hope to avoid serving the witch. Sorami sighed heavily and dragged herself over to the table.

"Hello. Welcome to the Kato café. What will you be having to-day?" Sorami said in a monotone.

The middle-aged woman looked up at her quickly, recognizing the voice. At first she appeared shocked, but soon a sinister smirk crawled its way across her face as she noticed Sorami's apron and notepad.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? So you're a waitress I see. I suppose it figures. You didn't seem smart enough to be anything else."

Sorami bit her tongue; the woman knew Sorami would be unable to fight back this time and was taking full advantage of it.

"Yes, it's a fitting job for you really: simply there to serve people like me who are your superior. It's just where you deserve to be: at the bottom of the barrel, with the rest of the sludge."

"**What** will you be **having** today?" Sorami repeated roughly through gritted teeth.

"Hmm I don't know if I even want to eat here anymore, seeing someone like you here makes me lose my appetite. Honestly, it makes me question if this place is even very **clean**. I can't believe they've lowered their standards so much since I was here last."

Sorami could feel the heat rising to her cheeks but she refused to react, she was silently praying that the woman would just go and leave her in peace.

"Oh well, there's just no accounting for taste I suppose. Hopefully the food will be better than the help.  
I'm going to have the spring salad with nonfat dressing on the side, and with baby spinach. And to drink I'll have a cup of green tea, make sure it's not too cold when it gets here would you? Do you think you can handle all that? Is that too much for you? Would you like me to repeat my order a bit slower for you this time?"

This woman was purposefully trying Sorami's patience.

"No ma'am. Your order will be coming right up." Sorami turned on her heel and stomped her way into the kitchen.

She came back moments later with a cup of tea.  
She set it down and began to walk away but before she had made it three steps a screech was heard.

"AUGH! What is this? Did you not hear me? Are you deaf? This tea is freezing! I can't drink this! I demand you return and make me a fresh pot. Do you understand? Frrree-esssh!" The woman sounded out the word as if Sorami was mentally handicapped.

Sorami snatched the mug back and stormed into the kitchen, muttering under her breath.

She returned a few minutes later with a new cup and gave it to the woman.

The graying woman took a sip and spat it back out across the table.  
"Are you trying to murder me? This tea is scalding! I could sue this place! And look what else you've done; now my table is all dirty! Clean it up will you! Then get me a decent cup of tea, is it that really too difficult for you?"

And so the torture began:  
"This mug is dirty get me a new one! I'll have the health inspector in here!"  
"You are the slowest waitress I've ever known! My food should have been here five minutes ago, you are obviously lazy!"  
"This is regular spinach I said **baby** spinach! You really are an idiot! Make it again!"  
"I said, dressing on the side, there is some on the salad, I see it! Get it out of my sight!"  
"NON-fat dressing, NON-fat! This is regular I can taste it, you buffoon! I refuse to eat this!"

Complaint after complaint, order after order, insult after insult, it was this woman's goal was to make Sorami's life as difficult as possible: and her mission was being accomplished effortlessly.

It seemed as if an eternity had passed and Sorami's sanity was hanging by a thread, but so far she had shown restraint throughout the whole ordeal: she was quite proud of herself to be honest. Now she was almost home free: she just had to deliver the check and it would all be over.

She placed the checkbook on the table and started gathering the woman's dishes silently.

"These prices are ridiculous! However much they are paying you it's obviously too much, this was the worst service in my life!" Sorami ignored her comment and stayed silent but her hands were shaking with anger.

The old woman was displeased by her lack of reaction; she wanted to get the teal haired woman to break… and she knew trigger.

"So where is that demon scoundrel you associate with? Have the village elders finally come to their senses and strung him up like most of us want? Maybe I should start a petition for his **extermination**."

Sorami threw the plates on the ground and they shattered in every direction.

"THAT'S IT! I've had enough of your crap you old hag! Say what you want about me and keep trying to piss me off, that's fine! But this is the last straw! Don't you dare threaten Naruto! I'll fucking destroy you!" Sorami growled.

The woman stood up angrily.  
"How dare you! I will have you know I'm a valued customer here! I've been coming here for years! And now you are threatening me? I will have you fired!"

Sorami grabbed the collar of her shirt and lifted up.  
"I don't even care anymore! It'll be totally worth it when I beat the shit out of you!"

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" The two adversaries turned their attention in the direction of the new voice.

Mrs. Kato stood in the doorway and took in the situation: Sorami was grasping a customer by the collar and physically threatening her.

Sorami's heart sank and the middle aged woman gave a sickly smile.

"Sorami! Yuuha?... I said what's going on here?" Mrs. Kato demanded.

Sorami wilted even further: these two were on a first name basis. This "Yuuha" was telling the truth when she said she was a long-time customer.  
She was so fired.

"Well Eti, you see your employee here viciously attacked me! I was just paying my bill and she starts yelling and cursing! I am a valued customer, I demand she be fired this instant!"

"Is this true Sorami?" Mrs. Kato asked gravely.

"I'm sorry! This woman and I have history outside of this workplace. I tried not to let it affect my professionalism because she is a customer. Honestly I really did control myself, but then she threatened to have Naruto killed! I couldn't stand it any longer!"

Mrs. Kato turned to Yuuha.  
"Did you really threaten to kill Naruto?" She asked incredulously.

"Who cares about that demon brat? And who cares about the reason! That's beside the point! The point is she **attacked** me and I demand she be fired! I have been coming here for years, giving you good business and it's either she goes or I do!" Yuuha said resolutely.

"You or her, eh?" Mrs. Kato remarked and Yuuha nodded.  
"Well that's easy: her." She replied without hesitation.

"Excuse me?" The woman squealed.

"Yuuha, you've been getting on my last nerve since the day you stepped foot in this place. I've just never had a good enough reason to get rid of you: well now I do. I like her much better than I like you. Matter o' fact, instead of firing her, I think it's time for a raise!" Mrs. Kato replied vengefully: oh how she loved pissing people off.

The woman began fuming and her face turned crimson.  
"You'll regret this! You can be sure I'll tell everyone I know what happened here!"

"Yeah, yeah, you've always been all talk. It's not like anyone will listen to you, ya old croon. Now get your tail out of my shop and don't let me see your wrinkled butt around here. Shoo."

Yuuha scoffed and stormed out the door in a huff.

Mrs. Kato shook her head and rolled her eyes at the spectacle.

"I'm sorry." Sorami said quietly.

"Hmph, don't mention it. I would have done the same thing in your situation. In fact, I probably would have slapped the stupid out of her right there: no hesitation!" Mrs. Kato laughed roughly and Sorami chuckled.

"Thank you for sticking up for me. I really don't know what to say." Sorami said genuinely.

"Like I told ya: don't mention it. First off, I liked that Naruto kid, he's a good boy. I won't have anyone bad mouthing him in my store! Secondly, this here is a family business; and being here means you've become part of the Kato café family. We look out for our own, remember that."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Sorami felt like hugging the elder woman.

Apparently Mrs. Kato felt the danger of an approaching mushy moment:  
"You broke those dishes though, you're ganna have to pay for 'em. Sweep up, and then the bathrooms need serious cleaning. Chop, chop."

With that she walked away indifferently to the back rooms.

The hands Sorami had held out for a heart warming hug began twitching in annoyance.

* * *

It was a glorious Sunday morning when Sorami walked through Naruto's room to the window above his bed and swiftly pulled the blinds up.

"Wake up sleepy head!" Sorami said cheerfully.  
Although light poured over his face, Naruto remained dead to the world.

"I said: WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!" Sorami shouted in his ear.  
Naruto made a face and rolled over, but those were the only indications he had even heard anything.

Sorami blew her bangs out of her face in frustration then rolled up her sleeves and grabbed hold of the edge of his covers.  
She then quickly pulled them out from under him and he flipped over.  
"Arg! Sorami-chaaan! Lemme sleep!" Naruto grumbled.

"Sorry hon, you need to get up! Besides, it's not even like I'm getting you up early: it's 10 o'clock!" Sorami replied, throwing the covers back over him.

"Yeah but today's the day I don't have training, I figured I could sleep in til' at least twelve! We can go out later… what's so important that you have to wake me up anyhow?"

"I really need to show you something, so you have to come with me!" Sorami said excitedly.

"What do you want to show me?" Naruto yawned.

"I can't tell you! It's a surprise! So hurry up and get dressed so we can go!" She skipped into the kitchen and Naruto picked up some clothes to wear before they headed out the door.

Sorami pulled Naruto down the street by the hand at a quickened pace, dodging passersby on the road.

"Sorami-chan where the heck are we going?" Naruto asked, practically being dragged as they turned down yet another avenue.

"I told you: it's a surprise!" Sorami laughed.

"Well why are we rushing?" Naruto questioned.

"I'm just excited; I can't wait to see the look on your face! We're almost there!" She gushed.

They turned another corner and Sorami suddenly pulled Naruto into a building and down a courtyard corridor.

"Okay now: close your eyes, and no peeking!" Sorami scolded.  
Naruto rolled his eyes but did as he was told; Sorami grabbed his hand and continued to lead him down the hall.

Naruto heard the sound of a door being opened and he could hear the change in the sound of his footsteps as he entered a room. This new room smelled of fresh paint and wood polish. Sorami led him only a few feet further before they stopped.

"Okay, you can open them!" Sorami said eagerly.  
Naruto blearily opened his eyes.

"TADAAA!" She exclaimed happily.  
Naruto looked around and took in his surroundings.

He saw a bright, spacious, room with wood paneled flooring and a fireplace.  
In front of him was a sliding glass door that led outside onto a small patio and a patch of grass surrounded by bushes and a fence.  
To his right he glanced at an open door leading to a room with a queen size bed, and a bit further right, down a small passage, was the door he had just entered.  
To his left he noticed a hallway that led to two closed doors which he assumed were a closet and the bathroom and as he turned around he saw a kitchen area with a large round table in front of it.

"So, what do you think?" Sorami asked merrily.

"It's an apartment." Naruto stated obviously.

Sorami walked towards the sliding patio door and twirled around in the would-be living area.  
"Yeah! Isn't it great? You wouldn't let me pay rent on the other apartment, so I've just been saving up this whole time; and then I got that awesome raise a few weeks ago, so I ended up having enough for the down payment and even a month's advance!  
You know we've been living in such tight quarters since I moved here; I was sleeping on the floor of your room for heavens sake! And I bet you are just sick and tired of changing in the bathroom because of me, so I thought it would be better if I bought a new apartment!"

Naruto looked around again and gave a strained smile then rubbed the back of his neck.  
"Yeah it's really…great." He said unconvincingly.

Sorami's smile faded.  
"Well that's not the response I was hoping for… What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, it's just… I mean, I didn't really **mind** changing in the bathroom… and I said you were welcome to sleep in the bed if you wanted! ...I guess I'm happy for you cuz you got your own an apartment and everything … it's just, I **really** liked rooming with you… It was fun… we got to hang out all the time… and you made me food… the place just seems warmer when you're there… I guess I'm just going to miss having you around is all." Naruto shrugged halfheartedly.

Sorami chuckled softly.  
"Oh… well sweetie, I **really** liked rooming with you too… in fact… I liked it so much… I had already decided to rent a two-bedroom apartment."  
She walked into the hallway and opened one of the closed doors, revealing another sleeping area.

"That is… only if you want to! I don't know, for some reason I had just assumed you would be coming with me!" She laughed meekly.  
"It's a real nice place! Good neighborhood, plenty of space for the both of us, bigger refrigerator, good lighting, a garden…" She attempted convincing him.  
"I completely understand if you want to stay in your other one though…" She assented sullenly.

Naruto thought it over: he had lived in his apartment his whole life. Even after he was promoted to chunin he hadn't thought of leaving. The only time he had ever imagined moving out was when he dreamt of living in the Hokage mansion.

But as he thought about it he realized that his apartment had never felt as much like home as when Sorami was there.  
He had lived there his whole life, all alone, but now someone wanted him, someone wanted to be there, to talk to him and take care of him.  
Sorami was part of his idea of home now and he couldn't imagine it without her.

Naruto grinned hugely and walked to the middle of the living area.

"We should get two **huge** comfy couches and put them right here in the middle. I've never had a living room before! Or a fireplace! Are we allowed to roast marshmallows in this thing?"

Sorami ran and gave him a bear hug.  
"We can roast marshmallows anytime you like!" She ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Okay, so I was thinking this room near the front would be mine and you can have the larger one down the hall if you want it…and oh! Did I show you? We have a tub!" Sorami ran around the flat energetically pointing out all the details of their new home to Naruto.  
"We can put some of your plants here and the T.V. set here: we obviously have to buy a lot more furniture because it's bigger than the last apartment…"  
As Sorami talked a mile a minute, Naruto could already imagine his new home coming together piece by piece.

* * *

All of the furniture had been moved into their new apartment and Sorami had decided to cook a big meal to celebrate.  
Naruto looked around at all the guests seated at the large round table in his new home: almost all of the important people in his life were here, finishing their dinners, laughing and talking.  
To his right his beautiful girlfriend Hinata was giggling and chatting with his closest friend Sakura.  
To his left his artistic and clueless teammate Sai was in deep discussion with his dear, lazy sensei Kakashi who held Sorami's hand lovingly on the tabletop across from Naruto.

Sorami too, Naruto noticed, had finished her meal and was now surveying their company with a tender smile across her lips. Naruto caught her eye and she smiled knowingly at him.

Sorami stood from her seat and tapped on her wineglass with a spoon to gain everyone's attention.  
"Sorry to interrupt everyone, but I would like to make a toast! I know, toasts are so cheesy, but I really have to. First off, I'd like to thank you all for coming to Naruto and my housewarming dinner party and I would also **very **much like to thank you guys for helping us move all our junk here! I know how busy you all are but it is so remarkable to see you gathered to help us out like that; it's truly appreciated."

"Sorami, what are teammates for, if not helping each other out? You know you can always depend on us." Sakura said warmly.  
"Well said." Kakashi raised his glass to Sakura.

Sorami smiled and nodded.  
"Agreed. It is an incredible act of fate that you guys became such an amazing team, and that there are those of us who have been so blessed to have befriended you." Sorami shared a smile with Hinata.  
"But when I look around this table, when I look at each of you, I don't just see a team, or even just good friends. It's so much more than that. I see love, I see home, I see a place to belong, I see… family."  
Sorami looked at each of them fondly and then looked to Naruto.  
"I know I've only been here for a few months but you have all become so precious to me. And I wanted you to know…. to me you are family." Sorami said wholeheartedly, raising her glass.

"Couldn't agree more." Sakura replied gently.  
"A beautiful sentiment." Sai said perceptively.  
"T-thank you Sorami" Hinata stammered lightly.

Sorami's face flushed pink.

"So yes: I would like to make a toast… to family."

"To family." The group announced together and touched glasses.  
"Here, here!" Naruto yelled meaningfully before taking a swig of his drink.

Sorami sat down with a light blush dusting her cheeks; Kakashi gave her hand a gentle squeeze in reassurance.  
"That was a lovely speech." He whispered in her ear and pecked her cheek.  
"Not too cheesy?" She laughed uneasily.  
"No, it was the perfect amount of cheese for my taste." Kakashi chuckled before kissing her hand.  
Sorami looked on at her silver haired partner with adoration in her eyes: she was head over heels and she knew it.  
On the other hand Kakashi couldn't tear his eyes away, and he knew she had him hook line and sinker.

Naruto watched the couple at the other end of the table and saw how much they truly cared for one another: he was glad for Sorami.

And he was happy for himself as well: he knew he had found his soul mate in the girl sitting next to him with milky white in her eyes.

Almost as if she knew he was thinking of her, Hinata broke her attention from Sakura's conversation and looked over at him, smiling.  
He smiled back, leaned over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek before grabbing some of the empty plates in front of them and bringing them into the kitchen.

Sorami picked up on his cue and began to clear the dishes away as well; soon the whole group was clearing and tidying.  
"You guys shouldn't be doing this, we're the hosts! Sit! Relax!" Naruto attempted.

"Oh hush Naruto, you know you want the help and besides that's too many dishes for you and Sorami to clean on your own." Sakura replied casually.

"I love this: cooking, talking, and cleaning. It's perfect." Sorami declared.  
"You know what? From here on out, we should do this every week: on Sundays we should all get together for dinner. It'll be a good break from all the politics and military of your lives. And I know the scheduling might not always work out due to missions, but we should at least try! And we could invite more people, if some of you are unable to come. What do you guys think?"

"I'll be here" Kakashi stated from behind her, wrapping his arms around Sorami's middle and resting his head on her shoulder.  
"Count me in! But you guys shouldn't always have to host; we can switch off houses each time, to be fair." Sakura added starting to dry the dishes.  
"If time permits I'd love to." Sai said eloquently pushing in the chairs.

"H-hai! O-of course!" Hinata answered happily while doing the dishes with Naruto.

"Dattebayo!" Naruto grinned widely splashing a bit of water out of the sink.

* * *

Naruto glanced at the clock inside the ramen stand.  
It was 5:20 and Hinata had told him they'd meet for their date at five o'clock.

He sighed resignedly, she was not the kind of person to be late; she was way too polite for that. He had to assume she had gotten stuck at home by her father and couldn't make it.

He kicked a small pebble in frustration; it was much more difficult to have a secret girlfriend than he had imagined it would be.  
In his head it was all romantic and forbidden and exciting, but in reality it was also pretty frustrating.

They couldn't be as spontaneous or openly affectionate as a normal couple; everything was scheduled and plotted with precision. Certain areas in town had to be avoided at all costs, and if anyone was even possibly of Hyuga decent they had to be evaded quickly.

He and Hinata had tried dating incognito and even under transformation jutsu, but they had found that it was too draining. And in all honesty they liked actually seeing each others' true faces when being intimate.

Even so, the moments they could steal were well worth the effort a hundred times over.

Naruto's main concern was for Hinata; he knew this whole thing was taking its toll on her. She was such a good soul; the lying and deceiving was completely against her nature.

He told her time and time again that he didn't want to come between her and her family, but she was resolute.

Naruto found it admirable to see such growing backbone from the shy girl. Hinata had made it perfectly clear that even though she didn't wish to betray her family, there was a line that had to be drawn when she believed their views were prejudiced and unfounded.

She and Naruto had talked about it extensively over the last couple of months. Hinata had told him she knew her father well enough to know that he would greatly disapprove of their relationship. He was a traditional man: set in his ways and very concerned about public image.  
She hoped he had the capability to change, but he was also very strong willed and immensely stubborn.

They had discussed the option of confronting him straight out, but Hinata was afraid that once he knew, he would actually begin to work towards stopping them from being together. It was hard enough to see each other as it was.

They settled that, for the time being, until her father could be swayed, they would just have to continue hiding their relationship.

Unfortunately, under these circumstances there was always this possibility that even with all their planning and scheming, something could get in the way and they would be unable to see each other.

Naruto slumped his shoulders and started towards the entrance of the Ichiraku's, preparing to drown his sorrows in a bowl of Ramen.

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto whipped his head around at the voice.  
He smiled hugely as he saw Hinata and Neji walking towards him from a ways down the road.  
"Hinata!"

Hinata smiled widely and started jogging as he ran up to meet her.

The energetic ninja engulfed her in a hug.  
"I didn't think you were going to make it!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. He looked both directions down the street before stealing a kiss off of her lips.

She blushed a soft rose.  
"H-hai, I was afraid I was not going to be able either."

Neji finally arrived at their destination.  
"Hiashi-sama's clan meeting was pushed back an hour: he caught her while she was trying to leave."

Hinata nodded.  
"I t-tried to tell him I was just going for a walk, but he said it would be getting dark soon and it would be improper for a young heiress to be out by herself."

"That is when she requested my services as an escort in her appeal to Hiashi-sama." Neji added flatly.

"Good thinking! Thanks Neji, it was really good of you to do that for us… uh… will you be eating with us tonight?" Naruto asked apprehensively.  
He thought it might be a little weird to have Hinata's older cousin hovering around them on a date like a chaperone.

"It was nothing. And no, I won't be joining you; I have some errands I need to attend to in the meantime."  
Neji turned to Hinata  
"As you well know, lord Hiashi's clan meetings usually last about two to three hours. Therefore, we will rendezvous at this precise location at 7:25, understood?"

"H-hai, of course. Neji-nii-san, thank you very much for your assistance." Hinata bowed and Neji returned a bow respectfully before continuing down the road.

Naruto suddenly wrapped his arms around Hinata's hips and hoisted her up off the ground in an enthusiastic hug.  
"Mmmhhh! I missed you! It seems like it's been forever since I've seen you!" He cried dramatically into her stomach.

Hinata blushed and giggled continuously while she looked down at him.  
"N-naruto-kun! We saw each other only yesterday!"

"Oh my god! It's been **THAT** long? How could we be apart for **that** long?" Naruto teased then proceeded to carry her into the ramen stand, Hinata laughing the whole way.

* * *

It was 7:15, Naruto and Hinata had finished their meal and stood outside the restaurant to wait for Neji.  
She was leaned against the wall and he was leaning over her, their fingers laced together like two halves of the same whole.

Naruto rested his forehead against hers.  
"I hope you didn't mind, I feel like we always have ramen."

Hinata closed her eyes and caressed his nose with hers, smiling softly.  
"Of course not: I like ramen."

Naruto stared into her eyes and lifted their entwined hands, kissing her fingers.  
She beamed adoringly back at him.

"HINATA HYUGA!"

The two teens jolted out of their trance and stood upright.

There in the middle of the street stood a furious Hiashi Hyuga. Not only that, but he was surrounded by a group of Hyuga elders, all glaring and giving disappointed or disgusted looks.

"F-f-father?" Hinata was trembling

"What on earth is going on here!" His gaze pierced like daggers into her flesh.

"I-I-I-" Hinata couldn't even form a sentence. Naruto really didn't know what he could do; he wanted to defend her, but he also didn't want to make the situation worse for her.

"Answer me! Here I find you, the heiress to the Hyuga name, gallivanting in the dark with some random boy like a common prostitute? I believe I deserve some form of explanation." Hiashi cut in.

"I-i-it's n-n-not l-like that. P-please-" Hinata begged.

"Yes do explain to me, and all our respected elders from the clan meeting, how is it they found you in such a compromising position. Where is Neji? He was supposed to be watching after you!" Hiashi glanced around his byakugan activated.

"F-f-father n-no I-I-I-"

His deadly gaze landed on her again.  
"Spit it out child! Do you insist in shaming the Hyuga name in all your actions? Even in simple speech! You and your incessant stuttering. It is weakness, pathetic." Hiashi hissed.

Hinata's face was frozen in shock and pain.

"HEY! DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!" Naruto yelled wrapping his arm around Hinata's shoulders. He had finally had enough: no one, not even her own father, would put his girlfriend down like that in front of him.

"The kyuubi?" Hiashi finally registered just who it was his daughter had been fraternizing with; it only fueled his anger.  
"This is none of your concern boy!"

"THE HELL IT ISN'T! You sit there and call her weak for stuttering, but it's because of **you **that her confidence is shot!" Hinata looked at Naruto in awe; he knew what her father could do to him yet he still fought for her.

"You have no right to address me in such a manner; you know nothing of me nor of my daughter!" Hiashi barked.

"Hiashi-sama!" Neji had finally arrived.

"Neji! My daughter has been tainted by this demon! You were supposed to protect her: that is the branch's duty." Hiashi had a look that promised pain.

"I can explain." Neji said firmly, unafraid of the branch's seal punishment.

"N-NO!"

All the arguers turned their attention to Hinata who now broke free of Naruto's grasp and stood in the middle of them.

"E-enough! Father, it's not Neji's fault. I tricked him into giving me some time alone in a shop. I escaped: it wasn't his fault."

Neji had a look of shock painted across his usual stoic face.

"A-and I am sorry for disobeying you and I'm sorry you had to find out under such unfavorable circumstances, but Naruto isn't just some boy. We are dating; we have been dating for months." Hinata was standing firm staring straight into her father's eyes.

"For so long you have been lying and deceiving me? This relationship is preposterous. The Hyuga heiress and the nine tailed fox? You can not lower yourself in such a way, I will not allow it. It ends tonight. Come now, we are going home. I will deal with you later."

"No father." Hinata had a look of determination etched into her face.

Hiashi's eyebrow rose: surprised at the resolve in her voice.  
"You openly disobey me?"

"I'm not leaving. I am in a relationship and you must accept that." Hinata stood tall.

"You will not involve yourself with someone so beneath your status. Come now." Hiashi ordered firmly, the elders behind him nodded in affirmation, muttering to each other.

"Naruto-kun is not beneath me! I will not let you speak of him that way! He is the most amazing person in the world! He has made me who I am! If you could open your eyes you would see that! He gives me strength father! He is the one who is giving me the strength to face you now!"

"This is not strength. This is disobedience and dishonor. He is poisoning your mind; you are forbidden to see this boy." Hiashi turned away

Hinata clenched her fists.  
"No. I will not back down this time. I will not let you keep us apart. Because I…

…

I love him."

Naruto's mouth hung open and he stared at the confident girl before him in shock and awe.

Hiashi turned back.  
"You do not know what love is. Now leave this."

Hinata shook her head.  
"Naruto-kun is a part of me. He is the greatest part of me. If you do not accept him, you do not accept me. I will not go until you reconsider."

"Pestilent child! You stand here, in front of all our elders and openly disrespect me in such a way? This is the last time I will say it: you will leave now and you will not see this boy again." Hiashi responded with an air of finality.

"I can't do that father." Hinata replied resolutely.

"Understand this: if you refuse to come now… then do not bother returning at all. You disrespect me. You disobey my word. You disregard what is best for our family. You dishonor every one of us."  
He awaited a reply but she stood firm.

Hiashi closed his eyes in disappointment.  
"You put your selfish whims before the good of your family. You are unworthy of the name Hyuga. You are no daughter of mine." With that he turned and walked away, the elders following in his wake.

Neji paused and watched them as they started to leave.

Hinata turned to him.  
"Thank you for everything Neji-nii-san. But, please, go.  
This was my battle. You hold no blame." Hinata gave a nod towards her receding family.

Neji gave a nod in return and began to walk back to the Hyuga compound.

Hinata stood in the chilled night air in the middle of the road and she watched as the last of her family turned the corner.

Naruto stood behind her and marveled at how strong she had been through the confrontation. She had barely stuttered, her voice was unwavering, and she had stood up for everything she believed unflinchingly.

"Hinata…" Naruto voiced as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

She turned around to face him.

A silent tear glided down her cheek.

He embraced her tightly. She griped his jacket and began to sob.

* * *

It was nearing nine o'clock and Sorami was lounging in the living room on one of her and Naruto's brand new sofas, reading a book.  
She had just flipped a page when there was a knock at the door; she smiled and got up to answer it.

"Ha-ha I saw since you were so excited about your date you left your key Naruto!" Sorami teased as she swung the door open. Her smile vanished at the sight that greeted her on the other side of the door.

Naruto had his arm cradled around a slightly crying Hinata Hyuga.

"Hey, Sorami-chan, is it okay if Hinata-chan stays with us for a while?" Naruto asked sullenly.

"Wha-yeah. O-of course! Come in you two." Sorami replied concernedly as she ushered them into the house. She wrapped her arm around Hinata from the other side and led them over to sit on the couch.

Hinata sniffled as she sat down.  
"I-I d-don't m-mean to i-impose. I just don't kn-now where else t-to go." Tears slowly started down her face again.

"Oh honey! Sweetie no. No of course not! You're no imposition, don't even think that way! I'm glad you're here!" Sorami grabbed some tissue from the coffee table.

Hinata nodded and took a shaky breath, composing herself. Sorami squeezed her shoulders in a consoling manner. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew it had to be bad to make Hinata so upset; she didn't know if she should ask.  
She gave Naruto a questioning look, knowing he could mediate.

"Hinata's father found out about us. He must have taken the clan elders out for a dinner meeting or something because they all saw. Well he confronted her about it and she told him the truth. It didn't end well." Naruto replied, Sorami understood completely, having heard of her father's previous actions.

Sorami was outraged at how a father could put pride before his own daughter's wellbeing. For a father to abandon his child like that: she could only imagine the pain Hinata must have been going through.

"That-!" Sorami started, ready to curse Hiashi to the high heavens, but Naruto shot her a warning look. Now was not the right time to start spitting out curses about Hinata's father.  
"—that—that is just awful." Sorami covered.  
"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry. You are more than welcome to stay as long as you like. You have a home here. In fact, I like having you here so much; let's just kick Naruto out and you and I can be roommates. Sound good?"

Hinata gave a small wet laugh.  
Naruto smiled softly; he was glad that Sorami could cheer Hinata up even a little in her current state.

"We are here for you hon. You need anything, you just say the word, alright? Would you like me to make you some tea?" Sorami suggested kindly.

Hinata wiped her eyes with her sleeve.  
"T-thank you so much for the offer, but I think I'd just rather retire for the evening if that's alright…"

"Whatever you want to do sweet pea. You can use Naruto's room, just down the hall there." Sorami replied tenderly.

Hinata stood slowly and bowed.  
"Hai. Arigato." She walked out of the room quietly making her way to his bedroom.

"Such a sweet girl. How could anyone possibly think badly of her?" Sorami wondered aloud.

"This whole mess is my fault. She's this upset because of me." Naruto announced gravely as they both stood. The last thing he would ever want to do was hurt her, to see her like this was heartbreaking for him.

"Don't go blaming yourself Naruto. Hinata knew she'd have to really face her father someday, she's a smart girl. Strong too. She'll be okay. This just caught her off guard that's all. Don't let it get to you too much, she needs you most now." Sorami stated sagely.

Naruto nodded and hugged Sorami.  
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Night Sorami-chan." Naruto started towards the back rooms.

However he didn't make it very far as there was a large tug on the back of his shirt collar.

"Ho-ho-ho, where do you think you're going buster?" Sorami asked crossly.

"Umm…to my room?" The blonde replied confusedly.

"Nuh-uh. I don't think so. While Hinata is staying with us, you'll take my room and I'll take the couch." Sorami announced concretely.

"Oh come on, do you really think I'd take advantage of her when she's like this!" Naruto asked, offended. "And didn't you just say "she needs you most now?"

Sorami made a disapproving noise, but then gave a heavy sigh and conceded.  
"Okay fine: tonight. But tomorrow: separate rooms! Got it?"

"Sorami-chan! It's not even like that! I don't want you to be put out again! You **just** got your own bed when we moved here. I **swear **nothing will happen. Anyway we… see we've … we've sort of agreed to wait… til we're married." Naruto mumbled the last bit then blushed.

"Oh please. Do you think I was born yesterday? A hormonal 16-year-old boy in a relationship with an attractive 16-year-old girl, sharing a room unsupervised? And you expect me to believe "We're going to wait til marriage?" Ha!" The grey eyed woman replied sarcastically, crossing her arms.

Naruto stayed quiet and just stared at her seriously.  
Sorami's arms loosened.

He stared at her for another three minutes.  
Her face started melting from skepticism to plain disbelief.  
"You are **actually** serious, aren't you?" Sorami asked surprised.

"Yes. Now can we please be done with this?" Naruto blushed some more and turned his face away.

He turned back again when Sorami didn't answer; when he did he found her with eyes as big and shiny as dinner plates.  
She grappled him in a crushing hug and swung him around.  
"Oh Naruto, Naruto, Naruto! I knew you were sweet, but you are just the sweetest boy ever! You are just too adorable! No guy actually does that! Oh my goodness, I just want to squeeze you til you die!" Sorami gushed over him.

"Mission… being… accomplished!" Naruto gasped, losing oxygen.

Sorami released him from her death hug.  
"Okay, you two can share a room. I trust you. But! I reserve the right to check in on you whenever I see fit." She declared.

"Agreed. Well goodnight again Sorami-chan." Naruto said tiredly.

Sorami kissed her hand then placed it against Naruto's cheek tenderly.  
"Goodnight sweet boy."

* * *

Naruto walked into his darkened room, he heard sniffling coming from the bed.  
He gently slid himself down onto the cool sheets to lie next to Hinata's form, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly.

She turned around in his arms and leaned into his chest. He felt damp spots soak into his shirt.

"N-naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Y-you don't think I'm s-selfish, do you?" She asked brokenly.

Naruto frowned. He knew Hinata: with her self-confidence issues she was always doubting herself, always blaming herself, even when she knew she was right. It tore him up inside to think how much she must be beating herself up over this.

"No way. You're not selfish at all. You're the most unselfish person I know-ttebayo." Naruto whispered, holding her closer.

"Then d-do you think I-I'm j-just a bad daughter? I-it was the whole c-clan..."

"Nah don't even think that way Hinata-chan. I think your father is just too blind and stubborn not to see how wonderful you are, and how lucky he is to have you as a daughter. It's their loss." He assured.

"B-but he's done this t-twice now… doesn't that m-mean something?"

"It means that your father needs to rethink what's important; that's all. You didn't do anything wrong Hinata-chan. He'll come around someday. I know it. He'll see how perfect you are." Naruto rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"T-thank you Naruto-kun" Hinata murmured. Just having him here holding her made everything seem better, her crying had stopped. His words, though simple, meant the world to her. She breathed in his warm scent and focused on the rhythmic heartbeat in his chest.

He felt her begin to relax in his arms and in the moonlight he could see her face beginning to lose its tension.  
Her breathing became deeper, indicating she was falling asleep.

"Hey Hinata?" Naruto whispered.

"Hmm?" She hummed tiredly; her eyelids feeling too heavy too lift.

"I don't know if this is exactly the right time, but I really wanted to say it…"

Knowing this sounded important Hinata looked up at him expectantly with weary eyes.

"Did you really mean what you said to your father?"

Hinata took a moment to recall the fight. She then remembered she had confessed her love right in front of him.  
There was no sense in denying it now; she just had to hope he didn't think it was too soon to say it.

Hinata closed her eyes in preparation then nodded.

"I just wanted the chance to tell you before you went to sleep:  
I love you too." Naruto whispered before kissing her forehead softly.

Hinata smiled serenely before resting her head against his chest again, both of them drifting to sleep.

Even after everything that happened, here in this moment, there was absolute peace.


	27. Runner

Sorami walked slowly down the dirt road and watched her breath puff out in front of her.  
Winter was approaching the leaf village. She could hardly notice though; here in Fire Country it only got a bit chilly and cloudy, maybe some rain off and on, and that was about the extent of their winter.

She had decided to leave the apartment for a while, knowing that Naruto and Hinata would do well with some time to themselves considering all the commotion that had gone on the past few days. Kakashi and Sai were away on duty and Sakura was at the hospital until the afternoon, thus Sorami was left alone with her thoughts.

"Sorami-saaan! Ohayooo!"

The teal haired woman halted and turned to look back on the road. She gave a small smile at the familiar green jumpsuit that came jogging up to her.

"Hello Sorami-san! What brings you out here on this brisk and refreshing December morning!?" He asked with a brilliant smile.

"Ohayo Lee. Oh I was just out for a walk." She answered simply.

"By yourself?"

"I've just got a lot on my mind I suppose: feeling a little restless." Sorami responded absently.

"Ahh yes. In the village I've heard of some troubling news as of late; Hinata and the Hyuga clan I've come to understand." Lee replied concernedly; it was hard not to hear the gossip that permeated the village.

"Yes, among other things…" Sorami replied vaguely as they started to walk again.

"I do sincerely hope everything works out for the best Ms. Sorami." Lee added.

"Yes… we can only hope."

Lee noticed she seemed different from when they first met. Her face was contorted in thought; she seemed less energetic. With Lee being Lee, that didn't sit well with him.  
He clapped his hands together.  
"Well, don't you know Sorami-san!? The very best thing for a troubled mind is an invigorating run! Exercise is a sure fire way to relieve stress and tension!" He impressed upon his statement by jogging circles around her and doing jumping jacks.

Sorami had to giggle at his antics. She decided that was the charm of Lee. Maybe he had something with his whole exercise kick: he really always did seem happy.  
"You know what Lee? You're right. I think some exercise might be just what I need. Mind being my jogging partner?"

"Really?! You are not joking?! YOSH! I am always, always looking for more people to train with! I do not understand why no one ever agrees! Running while socializing makes the experience even more enjoyable! This is fantastic!" Lee was jumping up and down in exhilaration.

"Take it easy on me though, I'm no ninja you know!" Sorami gave a hesitant laugh.

"No it is perfect! From now on it will motivate me to add more weights so that we may remain on equal terms! It will be a most exciting challenge!" He motioned to his leg weights.

Sorami clapped her hands together. "Alright then! Let's do this!"

* * *

"_Oh god, why did I agree to do this?" _Sorami thought as she leaned against her knees gasping dramatically.

"Oh come now Sorami-san! This is not even our second lap around the village! Do you think perhaps I need more weights? We cannot stop now! Our heart rates will drop!"

_"Must. Find. Escape." _Sorami's eyes darted around the bustling walkway for some sort of reason for them to stop: a distraction of some kind.  
_"Bingo. 12 o'clock." _Sorami got up and made towards her target.

"Sakura! Hello there Sakura!" Sorami jogged up to the pink haired medic, a large smile plastered on her face.  
"Ah Sakura-san!" Lee's circular blush rose to his cheeks as he started jogging up as well.

"Hey Sorami! And… Lee-san? What are you guys doing together?" Sakura asked, perplexed.

"Well we bumped into each other on the road getting some fresh air and Lee and I decided to be jogging buddies now!" Sorami answered merrily.

"Oh that sounds nice." Sakura replied politely.

"Does it? Do you want to join us?" The teal haired woman responded quickly.

Lee stopped in the middle of a stretch and looked over hopefully. "Sakura-san it would be such an amazing honor! This is only our second lap around the village!"

Sakura waved and sweat dropped. "Oh I don't know; I just got off work! My joints are all stiff! I'll probably just slow you down!"

Lee wilted, a cloud of doom looming over him.

"All the more reason! A nice run will loosen you up it no time! You've been stressing out at the hospital I'm sure and this will be a great release!" Sorami guaranteed cheerily.

A ray of light crashed through his doom cloud and Lee's eyes brimmed with enthusiasm and anticipation once again.

Sakura nervously glanced at the glowing ball of over-excitement that was Lee.  
"I uh… I'm not sure… I think I'm busy…" Her voice trailed off.

Sorami noticed the direction of her gaze.  
"Lee, sweetheart, would you excuse Sakura and me for a second? Bit of girl talk: you understand."

Lee put his fist to his heart and gave a small bow.  
"Of course! The special bond between female companions is beautiful and must not be disturbed!"

"Umm, right! Exactly." Sorami led Sakura a few feet away, out of earshot from Lee.

"Listen Sakura, I need to get out of this! I know I told him I'd be his jogging buddy from now on, but it's never ending!" Sorami whispered urgently.

"Well why don't you just tell him you want to quit?" Sakura chuckled.

"Seriously?! Look at that face!"

The two women turned back to see Lee stretching and jumping: eyes literally burning with flames of enthusiasm.

"He was just so happy when I told him I'd be his jogging partner! If I tell him I don't want to now, he'll be crushed! I can't do it. He's too sweet. It's like kicking a puppy."

Sakura rolled her eyes.  
"Well what do you expect me to do about it?"

Sorami linked her arm with the girl's.  
"See, I figure if I find him a better, most-beautiful-awesome-totally-great-friend-who-is-willing-to-do-me-a-favor, jogging partner, he'll be so happy that he won't mind if I quit on him." Sorami put her hands together in a pleading motion.

"No way!" Sakura crossed her arms and turned away.

"Pleeeeease Sakura! I can't keep up with this charade!"

"You were keeping up alright: two laps around the village? That's above average! I believe in you." Sakura patted her on the shoulder.

Sorami became flustered.  
"It hasn't been without some effort on my part and, you know… farmers legs…" she fumbled, "Anyway! You're a ninja! You'd be able to keep up with him easy, and you could get in some great training with the weights and stuff like Lee! Remember how we talked about always improving ourselves!" Sorami needled.

"Farmers legs?" Sakura repeated skeptically; she shook her head, getting back to the topic at hand.  
"Ugh… This isn't just your attempt to set me up with Lee is it?" She demanded.

"No, I swear. Plus you won't always be alone; I'll still join you guys sometimes! Just not the whole way. I am honestly slowing him down and his never ending pep talks are starting to get to me."

Sakura gave a groan.  
"… Alright fine! I could use some extra speed and endurance training. But you owe me one!"

Sorami hugged the pink haired teen.  
"Thank you!"

They walked back over to Lee, Sorami pulling Sakura by the crook of the arm and donning a brilliant smile while waving. Sakura wore a slightly strained fake smile while laughing hesitantly.  
"Oh Lee! Great news! Sakura has decided to join our jogging party! Isn't that lovely?!"

Lee stopped in the middle of a high kick, stunned. He suddenly knelt on the ground.

The two girls stared at him confusedly.  
"What are-"

"WAHOOO!" Lee leapt into the air, fist pumping.  
"This is the greatest day of my life! Not only have I gained one training partner: but two! And it is the embodiment of perfection: Sakura-san!" Tears streamed down his face.

Sakura whispered through her gritted smile.  
"Sorami you owe me so big…"

They both laughed nervously.

* * *

Sakura decided this wasn't half bad; once Lee calmed down a bit, he was actually fairly easy to deal with, and most of the time he just seemed focused on running. Plus, she was actually getting a pretty good workout with the old leg weights Lee had given her.

At first she had been apprehensive when he brought them out. She cringed as a flashback of the chunin exams entered her mind: Lee's leg weights had badly damaged the thick stone floor when he had dropped them off.  
He assured her that for her first session these were much lighter, some he had used in his earlier days. They were still incredibly heavy, but not impossible.

Yes, running with Lee and Sorami didn't seem like it was such a bad idea after all.  
She wasn't going to let Sorami know that however: she couldn't wait to cash in that favor. A sinister smirk appeared the medic's face.

Sakura heard a plopping sound from behind her. Both she and Lee looked back to investigate the noise.

Sorami was nearly a hundred meters behind them sprawled out on the dirt path.  
"Sorami!"  
"Sorami-san!"

Lee and Sakura jogged back to her.  
"Two laps! Two laps around a gargantuan village. That's good enough for me for one day I think." She wheezed from the ground.

"Do not be discouraged Sorami-san! You can keep up! All you need is confidence!" Lee gave her a thumbs up.

"Lee my "confidence" is shot. I think this is it for today." Sorami got up quickly and dusted herself off.

"Awww but we only just started!" Lee wilted.

"Do you need me to give you a check up? You might have heat stroke or dehydration." Sakura began to examine her physical condition.

"No!" Sorami exclaimed. "No, no, that's okay! You guys just keep going without me! I'll be fine!" Sorami waved off uneasily. "This way you guys can go faster anyway."

"You sure?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"Oh yeah! I'll just go home and… take a nap or something." Sorami sighed as she hobbled away.

"Okay then, shall we Sakura-san? On to victory!" Lee pointed to the road.

"Right." Sakura took one last look at the teal haired woman lumber away as they both started jogging.

* * *

Naruto peered over the back of the couch and watched his girlfriend chopping vegetables in the kitchen for their supper.

It had been a rough few days, but she seemed to be getting back to normal again. He smiled; cooking seemed to be somehow therapeutic to her.

The blonde hopped over the back of the couch and walked over.  
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently kissed the back of her head.  
"Anything I can help with Hinata-chan?"

Hinata leaned back into his hands, closed her eyes, and gave a small smile.  
"Y-you can cut up the mushrooms over there if you'd like."

"Can do!" Naruto began his appointed task and stole a glance at his white eyed partner.  
Sometimes when he thought about it, it could seem a bit selfish, but he couldn't help enjoying the fact that they had been discovered.  
Being on her own and away from the pressures of her family, Naruto could see Hinata's confidence growing each day. Since they had started dating her stutter had diminished greatly and now it was barely even noticeable; it was just one of her endearing quirks.

Now that there were no more secrets, they didn't have to hide anymore; he could see her anytime he wanted.  
Just living with her was a dream come true; she was a fantastic chef, patient, cleanly, and so incredibly considerate.  
The very best part had to be that every morning he got to wake up to her beautiful face right next to his.

He just hoped she felt the same; he knew she was going through a lot.  
He could tell things were definitely getting better though. Today she seemed a lot more cheerful; maybe it was because it was Sunday and they were preparing for their weekly dinner gathering. Naruto hoped that it was a reminder that she had a family _here _who loved her no matter what.

He watched her as she chopped green onion for their mushroom miso. A lock of her indigo hair slipped from behind her ear and into her face.

Naruto let out a hiss of pain. Apparently he had been distracted and forgot he was supposed to be cutting mushrooms, not his fingers.

"Naruto-kun!"  
It was only a tiny nick, but Hinata quickly retrieved the first aid kit from a nearby cabinet. Naruto noticed how easily she moved about the apartment. She already knew where everything was and he liked it.  
As she finished placing a band aid on his thumb Naruto held her hand there and pulled her in for a slow kiss.

"I love you Hinata Hyuga." Naruto announced as he pulled away.  
"And I love you, Naruto Uzumaki." Hinata smiled and blushed.  
"I love you too, Hinata Hyuga." Naruto replied melodramatically.

Hinata giggled. "You already said that."

Naruto gave a wide, silly grin.  
"Yeah I know! But now that we've established it, I get to say it as often as I want!"  
Naruto hugged her and started rubbing his face into the crook of her neck, tickling her with his spiky hair.  
"I-loveyouloveyouloveyouloveyou !"

Hinata shrieked with laughter.  
"Naruto!"

* * *

Naruto took a long heartwarming sip of mushroom miso then let out a contented sigh. He set it down with a thunk on the mahogany dinner table.  
"Hinata this is the greatest miso I've ever had!"

"Really, it is fantastic! Thank you for making it for us." Sakura added in agreement. Sorami, Sai, and Kakashi around the table nodded in accord.

Hinata blushed deeply, not used to being complimented by so many people.  
"T-thank you very much, I'm just so glad you all enjoy it."

"Of course we do!" Sorami smiled congenially. "I'm so glad you came to live with us Hinata; now that you're here, no one has to sit through my bland cooking anymore!"

"O-oh! N-no! Sorami-chan, you're cooking is absolutely lovely! I just wanted to help, I could not compare." The Hyuga avowed humbly.

"You are so modest sweetie! But we all know you are a five star chef; I pale in comparison." Sorami laughed. "Naruto, you know! You have the most experience with our cooking. Would you tell this darling lady that nothing I make could ever even hope to match this miso?"

Naruto looked back and forth between Hinata and Sorami; their friendly conversation had just put him in a bit of a pickle.  
"This meal is extraordinarily delicious, no doubt about it. Hinata is an amazing cook, but I think both of your cooking has its own merits."

Sorami chuckled.  
"Ah! What diplomacy! I'd be upset that you didn't offer any conclusion if I wasn't so proud of you."

Sakura scoffed. "Proud that he can worm and squirm his way out of sticky situations so nothing gets decided, just like our Hokage?"  
The group laughed.

"So Sakura, how was the rest of your run with Lee this morning?" Sorami asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"It was pretty fun actually; we ended up racing a little once you left. It was a really good workout and Lee's not all that bad company."

"Oh so you liked hanging out with Lee did you? You know maybe you two should—"

"Drop it." Sakura cut Sorami off at the pass.

Sorami pouted in frustration. "Hmph! Lee is just an incredibly sweet, polite, and considerate boy. That is all I'm saying. He's a gentleman. I'm just mentioning it."

"Uh-huh. But anyway, it would have been nice if it was all three of us. What did you do after the run?"

"Well I slept for a bit and then I found Hinata and Naruto working in the kitchen, so I just kept myself busy with little things: laundry, organizing, I started my Christmas list, it's coming up so soon you know, I really have to get shopping…" Sorami trailed off.

"Christmas list?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"Yes. You haven't you started yours?" Sorami asked casually.

"No, what is it?"  
The grey eyed woman's face displayed the utmost bewilderment.

Kakashi took Sorami's hand and gave her a smile.  
"Christmas isn't really a big thing in Fire Country."

She gave out a groan.  
"Oh damn, I forgot! Christmas is a holiday from the Northern countries. That was part of the reason I was traveling up there." Sorami stated glumly.  
"But you must know about it! **No** **one** in The Leaf celebrates Christmas? You guys have never even **heard **of it?" Sorami pleaded.

"Sorry Sorami, I'm afraid only a small number of families privately celebrate it here in Konoha." Kakashi consoled.

Sakura snapped her fingers.  
"Waaait a second! I think I remember learning about it once! It's a holiday that originated in snow country. I recall it's based upon some myth where a creepy, old, fat man breaks into homes through the chimney, eats their food, and leaves stuff."

"Yes!" Sorami answered a little too quickly, excited that Sakura had some recognition. "—I-I mean NO! He's not creepy and fat! He's… jolly and, and magical! And he doesn't break in and leave junk! He gives gifts to good little boys and girls! The holiday is about giving, and thoughtfulness, and goodwill towards men… and peace! You make it sound so terrible!" Sorami replied, aghast.

"Sounds like a pretty weird holiday to me." Naruto commented. "Chimneys? Why the Chimney? It's so small. There are so many better ways to break into a house. And if he's fat wouldn't he get stuck?"

Sorami growled in frustration.  
"That's not the point! And anyway, Santa is just part of it! It's a holiday where families and loved ones come together, eat, drink, bond, and express their appreciation for each other by exchanging meaningful gifts. I was really looking forward to it… I was all set to decorate the apartment and I already had a bunch of the gifts planned out in my head and everything…"

Naruto noticed the disappointment in her voice.  
"Well I like gifts! Who doesn't like gifts? If it means that much to you Sorami-chan we can have our own Kisma party!"

Sakura sighed.  
"**Christmas **Naruto. And yeah it sounds so sweet!" She beamed.

Kakashi took Sorami's hand in his.  
"You don't have to give up everything from your old life."

Sorami's eyes softened and she smiled gently at the faces surrounding her.  
_"These people care so much about you, Sorami."_

* * *

The dishes had been put away, the lights had been turned off, and Naruto and Hinata had just gone off to sleep.

Kakashi and Sorami stood alone in the front doorway and kissed tenderly.

"You sure you won't come back to my place?" Kakashi invited as they pulled away.

Sorami fell back to lean on the archway and searched his face with a tired look in her eyes. "No, not tonight. I'm sorry. I—I guess I'm not feeling all that great, that's all."

Kakashi noticed the hesitation in her voice.  
"What's wrong?"

The grey eyed woman shook her head.  
"It's nothing. It's just—so much has happened recently, so fast it seems. What with the new apartment, my Konoha citizenship papers coming in, and plus I forgot to tell you: I put up Lula and my cart for sale. Now we're making holiday plans… It all just seems so… **real **now."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kakashi asked cautiously.

Sorami held his hand reassuringly.  
"No, no of course not. It's just **big**."

"I understand: your entire life was so different from this, now you're settling down. It's a dramatic change. Are you sure this life is what you want?" Kakashi inquired sincerely as he caressed her cheek with his hand.

Sorami gave a small smile in response, pressed her hand over his, and leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.  
"Yes. This here. You and me. Having a place to call home, friends, family. This is what I want. Above all other things."  
Kakashi came in for another slow kiss.

He slumped back and sighed.  
"You won't change your mind about spending the night?"

Sorami gave a grateful smile.  
"I don't think so, I'm just… tired."

"Alright, get some rest then." He said lowly as he backed away.

Sorami watched his back as he walked down the corridor.  
"Hey—Kakashi."

He gave a half turn to look at her.  
"Hm?"

Sorami rubbed her arm as if warming herself.  
"You need to know something…"

Kakashi looked at her expectantly.

She leaned her head on the doorway, and looked off to the side.  
"…You never need to question how much I care about you… Ever. I just—I wanted to tell you that... I thought you should know." She knocked her head lightly on the door frame, as if she were embarrassed for saying anything.

Kakashi walked back with his hands in his pockets and planted a soft a kiss on her forehead.  
"Likewise." He said coolly.

Sorami gave a small smile as he sauntered away.

Not looking back, he raised one hand in farewell.  
"Night."

"Bye." Sorami watched him turn the corner before shutting the door silently.

* * *

Naruto's eyes flashed open. His senses were in overdrive and his body tensed.  
He heard a noise. He was sure of it, even if he had been asleep: he knew. Something was off.

His eyes darted to the clock on his nightstand. 3:05 AM glowed red in the dark.

He looked down to the girl sleeping peacefully on top of his chest. He eased a bit at the sight of her; apparently Hinata hadn't sensed whatever it was. He skillfully slid out from underneath her and out of bed.

He took a moment to revel: figuring only an incredible ninja could remove himself from beneath a kuniochi without waking her. That, or she was just so attune to his presence that, even in her asleep, she had accepted his movements as non-hostile.  
Either way, he was out.

The noise had come from the living room; Naruto silenced his steps and masked his chakra signature as he slinked down the hall.

He froze and waited as he heard muffled footsteps, then peeked around the corner.  
The room was shadowed in dark blue, but there was a pale rectangular glow across the floorboards from the moonlight spilling in from the sliding glass door.  
A slender figure in white stood in front of the window gazing out. It was Sorami.  
_"Oh man duh! I should have known it was her! What an idiot._"

Naruto was about to step forward and call out to her, but something stopped him; it appeared she was deep in thought.

He watched her glide to the glass door handle and begin to pull it open. As the night breeze came in, the sheer white curtains at her sides floated up slowly and her white silk bathrobe fluttered the same.

She slipped out on to the porch in their small, grassy yard and folded her arms across her chest against the chill. She raised her head, and in the full light of the moon Naruto could see that her expression was more sad than anything.

He knew something was up; he stepped forward and started towards the door.

Sorami crouched down.  
_"Sorami-chan! Is she crying?"_ He picked up his pace._  
_  
And then in a blur she was gone.  
Naruto watched her silhouette leaping in one bound over the garden fence.

Without a second thought he jumped after her.

* * *

Another branch whipped him across his face. His heart was racing and he couldn't catch his breath, but he had to stay silent, he didn't want her to know he was tailing her.

Every time he thought he was about to catch up, she increased speed or darted another direction. It was maddening.

He saw her up ahead, running through a tunnel of trees: just a flash of white as she dashed through the slivers of moonlight that reached the forest floor.

She leapt up into a gargantuan oak tree. He did the same in a pine tree adjacent. They escalated higher and higher, branch after branch, until suddenly everything was still.

Naruto hid amongst the leaves.

Sorami stood on a thick branch and stared out over the trees.

Naruto looked in the direction she was gazing; from this vantage point he could almost see the entire village in the distance. He hadn't noticed it before, but they must have run all the way to the forest behind the Hokage Mountain.

Sorami closed her eyes and tilted her head, letting her arms fall to her sides. A cold breeze blew some strands of her short teal hair across her face and her brow lost its tension. The only sounds were the leaves rustling around them.

Sorami sighed.  
"You know what I miss most about being on the road? …The wind. It's not the same wind that flows through the village. It's more free. I come up here to this tree branch above the city because the wind here is more free."  
Sorami opened her eyes slowly.  
"I know you're there Naruto." She stated firmly.

Naruto leapt down and landed on a branch behind her.  
"Looks like you've gotten a lot better at climbing trees than when we first met, huh Sorami-chan?" He answered nonchalantly.

They both stayed silent.

Sorami lowered her gaze.  
"How long have you known?"

"Never knew really, just suspected." Naruto shrugged.

"How long?" Sorami demanded again.

"Oh I dunno, I've always sort of known. Probably since the forest." Naruto replied offhandedly as he plunked down to sit on his branch.

"The whole time." Sorami closed her eyes again and gave a small smile, placing her hands in her robe pockets.

Naruto noticed, leaned back on his hands, and closed his eyes as well.  
"At first, I'll admit, I was a bit unsure, but as time went on I kept getting more and more sure of it."

"What gave me away?" She asked, amused.

He started swinging his legs.  
"It was a bunch of random things I guess. Like how the thief was kind of a weirdo goofball and you were kind of a weirdo goofball. Or like how you would be able to sneak up on me sometimes: waaaay too silent for any civilian. And also, to be honest Sorami-chan, you're not as great an actress as you'd like to think; at times you'd be pretending to be tired or pretending that something was too heavy, and I'd almost want to roll my eyes." Naruto chuckled.  
"And then even just little things, ya know? Like how you ruffled my hair: it was the **exact** same way the thief did in the forest. Stuff like that."  
Naruto opened one eye and gave a confident grin.

Sorami let out a small chuckle.  
"Has anybody ever told you that you're a little too smart for your own good?"

Naruto laughed.  
"I can honestly say no. Never."

Sorami's smile fell and her voice hardened.  
"You're a smart kid Naruto. Don't ever let anybody tell you any different."

Naruto's smile disappeared as he watched her back and he nodded solemnly.

She stepped to the side and leaned her back against the tree trunk, hugging her elbows.

"So what now?" She posed coolly, looking away towards the village lights.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked cautiously, watching her closely.

Her body tensed and her hands clenched her arms, her voice was cold.  
"Now that you have solid proof I'm the thief, will you be attempting to turn me in?" Sorami's eyes darted to him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.  
"What are you talking about Sorami-chan? Of course not!" He replied dismissively. He closed his eyes and started swinging his legs again.

Sorami's face changed in an instant to one of confusion and her whole body shook as she stood.  
"What?" She breathed, taken off guard.

Naruto stood up on his branch and looked her dead in the eye.  
"Sorami-chan, I know you. I don't care if you are the thief; it doesn't change who you are. I've seen the real you for months."

Sorami frowned, taken aback.  
"How can you be so sure you know the real me?" she countered.  
_"I don't even know the real me…"_ Her eyes shifted away.  
"Maybe I am just a liar and a thief. Maybe the person you've seen these months was a ruse. How would you know? You don't know anything about my past or who I am."

"No." Naruto responded without hesitation. "I see the light and love in you Sorami, in everything you do. Even if that was all I knew about you, that's all I'd need to know. I know you. I know you care about us. I know for a fact that you'd never do anything to hurt me or the village. And you should really know by now that I could never do anything to hurt you either."

Her eyes widened. She was speechless.  
"Naruto…"

"I know you've been running for a long time now, and this is probably why you've never found a home… you need to know you have one with me and nothing is ever going to change that."

Naruto stepped over and embraced her.

Sorami slowly raised her arms and embraced him back.  
She gripped him tightly.

They pulled back and Sorami touched his face.  
"Naruto... you mean the world to me… I was so scared to tell you… I just can't believe you aren't going to tell."

Naruto's face became very stern.  
"I'm not going to tell anybody Sorami-chan. But you should. Especially Kakashi-sensei."

Sorami pulled her hands to her chest and backed away.  
" Naruto… please... I can't."

"Sorami-chan!"

"No! I can't! Not yet! Everything is so perfect the way it is now! I've never had love and family like this… Don't take that away from me Naruto! Don't you like this life we've made together? Can't we just go on pretending… just for a little while?" She begged.

"But it's not real! How long Sorami-chan? How long until you tell the truth? You can't keep doing this!" He hissed.

Sorami's voice became weak.  
"I know… I know it's wrong. I'm just scared everything will change… I just want to hold on to this a little longer… please…"

Naruto saw the desperation in her eyes.  
"How long?" He demanded finally.

"After the holidays. Just give me that. After that I'll tell him. I'll even turn myself in if he tells me that's what he wants. I swear. Just let me have this moment..." She punctuated every word with earnestness.

Naruto shook his head and sighed.  
"Okay Sorami-chan, but Kakashi-sensei cares about you: more than you even know. He deserves to know the truth."

"I know. I want to tell the truth, I do, but please understand, I've never had this before Naruto… I don't want it to go away…" Sorami whispered.

"There are so many things I don't understand about this Sorami-chan…" Naruto began.

The ashen eyed woman cut him off.  
"Naruto look… I know you must have a lot of questions, but can't it wait? It's late and I'm tired… I just want to go home now. We can talk later. Can't we just go home?" She pleaded.

Naruto studied her then ran his fingers through his blond spikes. He was tired too: physically and emotionally drained. There is only so much a person can take at three in the morning.  
"Alright Sorami-chan. I love you and I trust you. So I trust you'll tell me when you're ready."

Sorami gave a watery smile and took his hand.  
"I promise."

He squeezed hers.  
"Let's go home."

* * *

A/N: Stick with me, the next section is the last chapter. You might be surprised.


	28. Year's End

A/N: I've posted two new chapters! The one before this is new as well don't skip it or the story won't make sense!

* * *

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Sorami tackled Sakura and Sai in a hug as they entered the apartment.

Kakashi, Hinata, and Naruto stood to welcome them as well.

Sakura laughed as she took in Sorami's outfit; she was wearing a green tunic, red and white striped stockings, and curly green shoes.

"What's with the getup Sorami?" Sakura giggled.

"I'm an elf! They are the tiny people with pointy ears who help Santa build toys in his workshop at the North Pole!" The spirited woman replied cheerily.

"This holiday gets weirder and weirder." Naruto chimed in from behind her.

Sakura looked around the room. Say what you want about Christmas, but she could see why Sorami was so obsessed with it; the apartment had turned into a wonderland. Colorful decorations lined the walls, paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and the house smelled of cinnamon and ginger.

Sakura laid her eyes on the pine tree next to the window and was overwhelmed.  
Scattered below, crowding a crimson and gold tree skirt, were rows of boxes and bows of different shapes and colors. Golden ribbons and glossy patterns filled her vision.  
All across the pine were strands of twinkling lights that made the tree glow from the inside, and hundreds of glass and metal ornaments glistened and sparkled as they suspended delicately from the branches.  
It was like magic.

"Now that everyone's here I say we dig in!" Naruto exclaimed.  
Sakura beamed as she witnessed the great feast Hinata and Sorami had prepared already sprawled out on the table in the dining area.

* * *

When they had finished dinner and their coffee and cookies, the group gathered around the tree. Hinata and Sai sat on the couch nearest the dining area, Kakashi and Sakura on the one across from the fireplace, and Naruto and Sorami sat on the floor next to the tree pulling out gifts.

"Alright who's first?!" Naruto demanded.

"Here's one! From Sakura to Hinata." Sorami read the tag as she pulled out a box.

She handed it to Hinata and the white eyed girl unwrapped it carefully, revealing a blue, leather-bound book.  
"_Materia Medica: Essential Natural Medicine._"

Sakura smiled at her.  
"I remembered that you had a flare for healing medicines and ointments, so I got this from Tsunade-shishou's library. I found it really informative and I thought you might like it."

Hinata smiled back.  
"T-thank you so much Sakura, I look forward to reading it. It's funny though, you should see my gift to you."

Naruto handed it to Sakura who tore open the paper.  
Hinata giggled, "I-it's a medical text too! Although, this one was written by members of my family."

Sakura read the text aloud.  
"_Critical Study of Chakra Disorders and Disruption._These diagrams of chakra systems are so detailed! You can only get this kind of insight with the byakugan! Thank you so much Hinata!" The two girls got up and hugged.

"Oh what's this one? From Sakura to Sai! Hmm this one feels like a book too!" Sorami laughed.

"Oh man Sakura-chan, are you going to be one of those boring people who only give books?!" Naruto whined.

"Baka-Naruto! You could use some knowledge!" Sakura growled and cracked her knuckles.

While Naruto crawled away to hide under the tree, Sai had opened his gift.  
"_Comprehensive Collection of Art Through the Ages._"

Sakura looked over to him and smiled, forgetting her anger at the whiskered boy.  
"It's mostly pictures, but I thought it might suit you."

Sai flipped through the pages and saw not only paintings, but photos, furniture, sculptures, sheet music, and architecture.

"I know you mostly focus on your painting and sketching, but I believe you have a lot of creative potential; I was thinking this might inspire you." Sakura laughed.

"I read in a book about Christmas that the best gifts are personal. I appreciate how much thought you put into it. I hope my gifts will be appreciated just as much. I did not know what to get that would be considered sentimental, so I just gave you each a painting."

Sai stood up and grabbed a number of boxes from below the tree and passed them out to the group.

Hinata and Naruto opened theirs first. It was Nihonga styled in colorful ink. The top left corner of the painting held a woman seeming to float in a kimono of slivers, blues, and purples, reaching down to a man on the bottom right wearing gold, orange and red. Their hands were clasped in the middle.

"It's a myth I read about a sun god and a moon goddess; it's a story of balance. The story reminded me of you two."

"Oh Sai i-it's so beautiful." Hinata's eyes watered as she looked at him.  
"Wow. Geez. I mean: wow." Naruto stared at the painting in awe.

the pale boy gave a small bow.  
Sorami opened hers next and smiled softly. She turned it around so that the group could see it.  
"It's the landscape painting from when we were coming to Konoha." Sorami crooned.

Sai nodded.  
"I remembered that you said you liked it. I thought it was logical for you to have it, seeing as that was the first time we met you and when you joined the group."

"I love it." Sorami hugged it to her chest.

Kakashi opened his; it was a rough sketch of Sorami sitting, looking out a window with a cup of tea.  
"I apologize: I didn't get to finish it because I was working on everything else." Sai explained.

"It's great." Kakashi chuckled.  
"It's me!" Sorami exclaimed when she stood up next to the couch to see it. Kakashi hugged her hips.

Lastly, Sakura beheld a painting of herself.

"It was from when we were collecting apples in the forest." Sai stated.

But it was more than that; the picture showed an impressionistic depiction of Sakura, twirling as if in a ballet, and she wasn't wearing her ninja uniform either, but a cream colored silk dress. It was ethereal; the light was soft and golden and the trees around her swirled in sun soaked color.

Sakura blushed: she was speechless.

Sorami came up and viewed it from behind her.  
"Sai…it's a masterpiece." She whispered.

The apathetic boy gave a customary smile.

"Alright, next we have a present from everyone to Kakashi-sensei." Naruto read.

The group gave each other knowing smiles.  
"We all chipped in to buy you this one." Sakura stated.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as the small, square box was handed to him.  
He removed the lid to discover a gold pocket watch with a 'KH' emblazoned on the front.

"Maybe this way you'll know what time it is and you won't be late!" Naruto snickered.

"I see." Kakashi chuckled, "Even if it is in jest, this is a wonderful gift you guys. Thank you."

"Open it and read the inscription: we had it engraved." Sakura explained.

Kakashi's eyes softened as he read the message: _'Kakashi-sensei, to us you are timeless._'  
"Thank you. All of you."

"I still have a gift for you Kakashi-sensei! Well, it's more like from me and Jiraiya, but-" Naruto started, but Kakashi had already swiped it from his hand and ripped it open.

"An autographed, first-edition Icha Icha with outline sketches for the next book!" Dramatic tears escaped him.

"I have one more gift for you too Kakashi!" Sorami exclaimed sweetly.  
Kakashi set his book down and beamed as he opened the box, but then pulled out the item incredulously.  
"It's a… Santa Claus beard… why thank you Sorami…" Kakashi was puzzled and it felt a bit anticlimactic in comparison to his last gift, but he kissed her hand anyway.  
She gave a small smile and blushed lightly.  
"Well, aren't you going to put it on?"

Kakashi sweat dropped and sighed, but did as she asked.

"Alright I've gotten my gifts, so it's only far I give out yours." Kakashi stood and grabbed from under the tree.  
"Naruto." Kakashi tossed him a thick envelope.

"Sweet! A year supply of Ichiraku Ramen vouchers!" Naruto proclaimed.

"That'll last about a month" Sakura mumbled.

"Sai." Kakashi handed him a box, in it was a vast number of paint supplies. Sai nodded and Kakashi nodded back.

Kakashi grabbed three more large boxes from below the tree.  
"Now alright, there are three identical boxes here: one for each of my girls. I was given these by a very wealthy widow who took a particular shine to me a while back. She is a collector of sorts and she let me have a pick of the lot."

Kakashi handed out the boxes. A very curious Sakura ripped her box open.

"Kakashi-sensei…"  
Sakura pulled out a crimson susohiki kimono and tried it on. Pale gold wheat and leaf patterning lined the cuffs of elongated sleeves and swam up the long train that was sweeping behind her.

"I picked this one for you because the unique style of this kimono is elegant and beautiful and I believe it perfectly reflects the young woman you've become right before my eyes." Kakashi explained, placing his hands on her shoulders. Sakura's eyes watered and she hugged him; never before had Kakashi acknowledged her in such a way.

Next Hinata opened hers to find a vintage, houmongi-styled, white kimono with pastel floral patterning. Camilla and cranes danced over a stream flowing across the fabric.  
"I-Its so lovely."

"I chose this one for you because it reminded me of the serenity and joy you bring to those around you. I'm very glad Naruto has you Hinata, please take care of him."

"H-hai." Hinata held the item to her heart.

"And lastly for you Sorami." He handed her a silver wrapped box and she opened it carefully.  
Sorami lifted the cloth and marveled.  
This one was a furisode decorated in a more modern style; it was black with gold geometric-lined patterning up and down the sleeves. White and salmon colored lotuses and butterflies were strewn across the robe, giving a striking contrast to the black background. The obi was waved gold with a green tie.

"Kakashi it's amazing." She stared deeply into his eyes.

"It reminded me of you because it's exciting, vibrant, beautiful, and one of a kind. It was my favorite out of all of them." He explained.

Sorami got up, parted just enough of his Santa beard so that only she could see, and kissed him gently.

"What a considerate and tasteful man I have." Sorami announced as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Kakashi wrapped his arms around her lower back.  
"I was just thinking you girls could wear the kimono to the New Years festival in a few days." The grey haired man gave a humble shrug.

"From Sakura to Sorami!" Naruto yelled out as he tossed the box at them, breaking their romantic moment.  
Kakashi caught it in one hand without looking and handed it over.

"Awww it's the red scarf I wanted from when we went shopping, how thoughtful! Thank you Sakura!"

"Ooh ooh! From Sakura to ME!" Naruto yelled as he scrambled to tear open the box.  
Out of the container rolled two metal objects and two waxy blocks.  
"Thanks Sakura… umm… a pen… some sticks of wax… and… whatever this is." He waved the item back and forth.

Sakura giggled.  
"Look." She picked up the mystery object and held the bottom toward his face: on it was the symbol of the leaf.  
"It's the official seal for the Hokage's letters. This one has a chip in it so Tsunade-sama said I could have it, and this is a fountain pen from the Hokage's office. I figured you could start practicing with them seeing as you'll be our Hokage someday." Sakura explained warmly.

"Ahh Sakura-chan!" Naruto stood to give her a hug.

"Here's one from Naruto to Hinata." Sorami announced as she handed the small box to the girl.

Naruto looked at her nervously.  
"I really hope you like it."

Hinata smiled. There could be a number two pencil in there and she knew she would love it. She peeled back the dark green paper and revealed a small wooden box. It had twisting vines carved into the top and sides. She opened it and it started to chime a sweet song.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head.  
"It's a jewelry box. I know you don't like to wear a lot of glitzy jewelry and stuff, but I saw it in a shop and it was pretty, so I thought you might like it."

"Oh Naruto, it's so wonderful, I love it." Hinata kissed him on the cheek.

"Alright me next! This is a very special one from me to Sakura." Sorami announced tenderly.

Sorami spoke while Sakura unwrapped the object. "It's an antique I found a long time ago in my travels. It's very special to me and I want you to have it."

Sakura cradled the gift in her hands.  
"Oh my god."  
There lay an intricate, golden hair comb decorated with jade-colored, enamel leaves and clusters of tiny pearl flowers.  
"Sorami, this is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I've ever seen!"

Sorami walked over, lifted the comb from her hands, and tucked it into her hair.  
"Stunning. I knew it would suit you perfectly."

Naruto looked over at the two lovingly, but a part of his thoughts drifted to the night a couple of weeks ago. He wondered silently if Sorami could have stolen that expensive comb. He shook his head at the thought; he knew Sorami wouldn't give Sakura stolen property.

In the last few days he had kept trying to get her alone so they could talk about it, but she kept dodging his questions. It was as if she believed that if they ignored it, and didn't say it out loud, then it wouldn't be true.

He watched her as everyone continued to chat animatedly and pass around gifts. She looked happy, happier than he had ever seen her.

Sorami handed him a medium-sized box, breaking him out of his reverie.  
"For you, my little Hokage to be."

They had an entire silent conversation with the looks that passed between them in that moment.  
His eyes told her of all his love and sympathy, but the edges of his smile held disappointment and a longing for her to be the person he knew she was.

Her eyes held an equal amount of tenderness and love, and her smile was apologetic but hopeful.

"Open it." She said lowly.

The gift had no wrapping. It was just a glossy, dark-cherry wooden box. He lifted the lid and it sprung open on its hinge. Inside laid a sheathed dagger. It was ancient and rusted with engraved patterning on the metal hilt and sheath.

"There's an inscription on the blade." Sorami added softly.

Naruto unsheathed it and read aloud.

"Bound to honor."

Sorami held the blade with Naruto.  
"The man I got this from told me a legend: if this knife were to be held by someone without heart, it would instantly turn blunt and useless, but when wielded by the righteous, it could effortlessly cut through any stone. Now I don't know if all that's true or not, but if it is, and _you_ wield it? Well, I believe it can cut through steel."

Naruto sheathed it once again.  
"Thank you Sorami-chan."  
He hugged her close then watched as she rejoined the conversations around them.

Sorami loved them all. She would keep her word. He knew she would do the right thing.

* * *

**(SSL: Elliott Smith- Angel in the Snow)**

Sorami blew out the last of the scented Christmas candles and walked back to the couch across from the fire to lay her head in Kakashi's lap. He absently rested his hand on her hair as he continued to read his new book.

Down the hall, Naruto slid into bed and spread his arm out so that Hinata could cuddle up close to him.  
He wrapped a blanket around them both to fight the chill and she sighed contentedly as he laced her fingers with his.  
"Tonight was fun, I'm really glad we did this." Naruto murmured.  
"Me too, i-it was perfect." She replied.

Naruto tapped his fingers on her knuckles.  
"Did you really like my gift Hinata-chan?"  
"I love it Naruto-kun." She replied with conviction as she snuggled into his chest.

Naruto watched her face relax in the dim of the moonlight and in that moment thought to himself that no one in the world could ever look as beautiful as she did now.

"I've got a confession to make Hinata …" Naruto whispered.  
Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him expectantly.

"That wasn't the only gift I got you…"

Hinata watched perplexed as he pulled from his pocket a small, black-velvet box.  
Her eyes widened and her heart pounded in her ears.

"I know this may seem kind of sudden, but I love every minute I spend with you Hinata, so when I was shopping and I saw this, I just went with my gut and bought it. I was going to wait until way later to give it to you, but in the spirit of Christmas..."

Naruto opened up the box to reveal a silver, gemmed ring protruding from plush, white silk.

"N-n-n-naruto-kun... I don't…" Hinata couldn't catch her breath and felt she was about to faint.  
Her vision was tunneling.  
"Whoa! Hold on!" Naruto laughed.  
He pulled the ring out of the box and behind it a silver chain came trailing.

Hinata's vision started to sharpen again as she evaluated this new development.

"I do realize it's still early for us and we're young, but I'm impulsive and stubborn and I know what I want. I know that my favorite part of the day is just before bed when you and I just lay here and talk. I know that I can tell you anything and I know you will always be honest with me. I know that I'd love nothing more than to wake up to your face next to mine for the rest of my life. Even though this isn't a real engagement ring, it's a promise: a promise that someday when we're ready (and I can actually afford a real diamond ring) I'm willing to take that leap with you, if you'll have me."

Tears started to form in her eyes while she nodded furiously. Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. "Yes!" She squeaked out through emotion.

Naruto pulled away and reached around her neck to clasp the necklace on. She clutched it to her heart and let tears stream down her face before tackling Naruto in a hug.

Naruto pulled at a chain around his neck and out of his shirt came a thick silver band.  
"Look, I got one too. You are mine and I am yours."  
Hinata pulled him down to kiss him senseless.

* * *

Sorami stared transfixed at the slowly diminishing fire across from her as she lay on the couch. Kakashi had wrapped his arms around from behind her and was nuzzling her neck with his nose.

"Looks like everybody has gone home and gone off to sleep." She mused aloud.

"Mmhmm." Kakashi agreed absently.

"You're not wearing the Santa beard I got you." She noted suddenly.

The lithe woman got up slowly and straddled his thighs as he lay face up on the couch. He put his hands behind his head and smiled as he watched her curiously.

"I couldn't say anything earlier, but the reason I got you that beard was so that you and I could play 'Santa and the Naughty Elf' tonight..." She winked as she unwrapped a candy cane from her pocket and licked it slowly.

Kakashi beamed and shook his head in disbelief. It was like Icha-Icha only complete reality.

He pulled her down to lay flush with him and his hands massaged her back as they locked lips. As her tongue darted out he tasted the peppermint from the candy cane.

Eventually she pushed herself up for air and he tucked some of her teal bangs behind her ear.  
He took in the contours of her face lit solely by the fireplace and the lights from the Christmas tree. She was flushed, and her lips were swollen from kissing. She had never looked more beautiful.

"Should I go get the Santa beard then?" She whispered seductively.

"No." Kakashi answered plainly. She gave him a look of confusion, but he simply pulled her down to lay on top of him and he held her.  
"Not tonight."

Sorami became concerned when he did nothing more but continue to hold her.  
"What's the matter? I thought you liked role-play…"

Kakashi smiled.  
"I do. But tonight I'm good with just doing this."  
He settled them back to their original positions with Sorami lying towards the fire and he behind her, wrapping his arms around her front.

Sorami blushed deep red as she began to relax.  
_"Kakashi denying sex? To cuddle?"_

The scene was just so _intimate_. They had just finished having a family gathering and now they were cuddled up on the couch next to a cozy fire.  
Sorami's heart ached. It was perfect. It was everything she had dreamed it would be.  
It was a lie.

_"This has gone too far Sorami. You can't keep the truth from him anymore. You can't lie to yourself anymore. This isn't just some passing fancy; this isn't just a vacation from your life: this __**is **__your life now. You've made your choices, and now it's time to deal with them. If you plan on making it here and with this man, then you have to share everything: good and bad. It has gotten serious now. Tonight, his actions, it just cements it; this isn't just about lust or infatuation, this is more with Kakashi. It's so much more… Don't be so selfish! Don't be a coward! Do right by him!"_

Sorami took a deep breath and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice wavered with emotion.  
"Kakashi I have something I need to tell you: I—"  
"I love you."

Sorami's eyes shot open at his words and stinging tears slowly pushed past her bottom lashes. Her heart beat madly, but simultaneously she could feel it crumbling under the strain of it all, like a dam about to burst under pressure.

"Sorry to interrupt, but just in case that's what you were going to say, I wanted to be the first to say it." Kakashi kissed the back of her neck again.

The sweet, honest words felt like acid flooding her veins. She wanted to scream.

She started crying openly and as she choked back a sob Kakashi became concerned.  
"Sorami? Is it too soon? Why are you crying?" He asked seriously as he turned her to face him. She forced open her bloodshot eyes to look into his. The love and concern in them tore at her insides; she didn't deserve to look at him, and she didn't deserve the look he was giving her.

"Sorami, tell me if I've said something wrong…" He insisted.

"No! God no!" Sorami couldn't let this wonderful man think for a second that it was something he had done, and she couldn't let him believe that the feelings weren't returned, because they were, she realized: a hundred fold.  
"No, i-it's not too soon. I-I… god! I love you!" She kissed him with all her might. With all the tempestuous emotions whirling inside her, it was the only thing she could think to do.  
"I love you." She repeated it over and over between feverish kisses. "I love you. I love you."  
It seemed as though that was the only true thing she could say to him. That thought alone set her into another set of tremors. Tears continued to cascade down her cheeks and spot his skin as they kissed. She was a selfish coward and she knew it.

Kakashi, confused, could only assume they were tears of joy and kissed her back with equal intensity. He was just relieved that the sentiment was returned.

She kissed him with such fervor and passion that it was like the world was about to end.

Her world was.

Tonight would be the last night she allowed herself in the perfect dream she had created. Tomorrow reality would set in, for better or worse.

* * *

Naruto walked down the street towards Ichiraku's, his hands in his pockets and his head titled up towards the sky. The sun was low on the horizon, not quite dusk, but the heat of the day was already passing. Tonight he'd be on his own: Hinata was out on a mission and Sorami had said she wanted to make Kakashi dinner. He furrowed his brows, remembering what had transpired an hour earlier:

_Sorami had been quiet all day, just putting away Christmas decorations silently. Now the apartment was bare again and the only remnant was the fading smell of cinnamon from a scented candle. Naruto walked over to find her leaning over the kitchen counter revising a grocery list._  
_"Hey I need the apartment tonight Naruto. I want to cook dinner just for me and Kakashi. Just us two, is that alright?" She asked absently, not looking up from the list._  
_  
"Yeah sure I guess." He shrugged. "I should probably do that for Hinata too one of these days, huh Sorami-chan? Do you think I can cook well enough for that yet?"_

_Preoccupied, Sorami had barely heard what he said._  
_"Hmm? Oh sure sweetheart, Hinata would love it, I'm positive. So, Kakashi will be coming around seven: just to give you a heads up." She gave a half smile and rubbed his arm reassuringly._

_"Yeah that sounds fine; I think I'm going to head out now anyway. I can go out and use my first Ichiraku voucher, maybe catch up with the guys or something!" Naruto announced excitedly._

_"Thanks honey." Sorami gave him a kiss on the cheek as she passed him on her way to her room._

Naruto touched his cheek. It hadn't been one of Sorami's quick, cheery pecks; this one seemed slower, more comforting than anything. Who was she comforting though? Him or herself?

He wondered if tonight was the night she would tell Kakashi.  
_"After the holidays. Just give me that." _  
His mind flashed to her plea on the treetop and his eyes furrowed again_._

He thought back to the Christmas party the night before: Hinata, Sorami and Sakura had all put on their new kimono and he remembered how excited they all were about the New Year's festival. Sorami had even joked that she was going to lean over a booth and "accidentally" let one of the carnival workers peek down her dress so that she could get free prizes. Kakashi had peered over his book at her, unamused. They laughed and continued to chatter on about all the things they wanted to do at the festival.  
_"Yeah not tonight, but after New Year's she'll do it. I know she will._"

It was strange, but even though he was adamant about her telling the truth, at the same time he knew exactly where she was coming from. He loved the idea of them all going to the festival together. They were a family now.

He thought about what would happen once she told Kakashi and he couldn't stand it: everything would be ruined. Kakashi would feel angry and betrayed, and they would fight, and things would be bad between everybody for a very long time.

"_But it's good right? They need to be honest with each other! I know Kakashi-sensei hasn't told her everything about his past too! It'll be fine. Even with this entire crap storm, I know deep down they love one another and it'll work out. It's sickeningly obvious the way they look at each other that they're in love. I wonder if Hinata-chan and I look like that. I wonder if Sorami and Kakashi have even admitted it to themselves yet. Either way, I know love will win out and Kakashi will forgive her, and it'll be good. But oh maaaan it's going to be so awkward for a REALLY long time! I'm going to have to do some __**serious **__damage control..."_

Naruto let out a deep sigh, but, lost in his thoughts, he didn't see where he was going and walked straight into someone.

A tower of books and papers toppled to the ground.  
"Urgh! Great! Na-ru-to! You need to watch where you're going baka!"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled and knelt down to help her pick up her materials.

"What's with all the books Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked piling another in front of her.  
It was no wonder they bumped: the humungous stack of reading completely blocked her view.

Sakura turned so she could look at him from behind the books.  
"Ahh just one of the perks of being the Hokage's apprentice: I'm just a glorified delivery girl." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Naruto shook his head.  
"Baa-chan runs you ragged! Listen, forget the delivery and come with me to Ichiraku's! I don't want to eat alone if I don't have to!"

She sighed.  
"You know I can't do that Naruto…" However, Sakura's stomach apparently disagreed and gave a small growl in protest.

Naruto laughed.  
"Aww come on! You'll just be a little late, Baa-chan won't even notice! It'll be my treat. I've got coupons remember? Then afterwards, I'll help you carry those books to the tower, so you can see where you're walking!"

The offer was too tempting.  
"Alright you convinced me! I'm so starving!" Sakura giggled.

"Yeah! Sweet!"

* * *

Kakashi checked his new pocket watch as he leapt onto another roof.  
"_6:34 exactly. So I'm a bit early for once, I'll just offer up my assistance in meal preparation. Or maybe I'll try to distract her from the meal completely and we can just get something cooking of our own… I wonder where I left that Santa beard..." _Kakashi smirked beneath his mask at the thought.

He silently landed on the roof across the courtyard from Sorami and Naruto's apartment, and began to amble down the adobe roof tiles. He could see Sorami through her bedroom window even from here, only obscured by slightly parted drapes and a light screen. She appeared to be tidying or organizing things in her room.  
_"Probably getting things ready for tonight." _Kakashi smiled again.

Sorami stopped and stared at something in her hands and when she did Kakashi's heart stopped.

This was a dream. A nightmare. This was a subconscious manifestation of Kakashi's trust and intimacy issues being dealt with through symbolism in dream state. Obviously he had somehow fallen asleep on his D-Rank today and this was just a strange nightmare.

There could be no other explanation as to why Sorami, the woman he had come to love, would be holding the black and white mask of their thieving enemy.

The moment lasted forever. Another signifier that it had to be some sort of dream: time distortion.  
It was like his vision had zoomed in on every detail of this moment. The soft, teal bangs, which he had come to love running his fingers through, fell in slow motion across the arresting grey eyes he had always tried to steal glances from.

Those same silver eyes now stared transfixed at an object in her hand, an object that he had come to hate. That mask symbolized his failure, his defeat, his enemy.

It was like trying to fit two jigsaw pieces together from entirely different puzzles.

He looked at the pink lips, now frowning, that he had kissed a thousand times, and tried to imagine them hidden behind a glossy black and white mask.

He looked at the delicate hands holding the mask, the same hands that caressed him and held him; he couldn't see those hands fisting towards him in a fight.

Those legs that had once wrapped around him couldn't be the ones that leapt and kicked in fierce combat.

Time unfroze, but Kakashi did not.  
Sorami crouched down and the mask disappeared. It seemed that in the next instant she was outside of the apartment, adjusting her saddle bag and locking the door.  
He didn't even see her walk down the corridor out of the building, but as soon as her presence was fully out of the vicinity, it was as if a spell was broken and Kakashi's body unfroze.

His legs must have moved of their own accord because the next thing he knew, he was walking in through the sliding glass door of their garden and into the living room.

Every bit of Kakashi's mind was rebelling against the acceptance of this concept.  
If this wasn't a dream, he must have hallucinated the whole thing, maybe it was the heat or maybe he was drugged, he reasoned.

He needed physical proof: he needed to see the mask for himself.

Kakashi turned to Sorami's room and pushed opened the door with one hand; it creaked ominously.

Things looked the same as they always had. It was Sorami's room. Her clothes were bunched in the closet, the chandelier earrings she liked so much were strewn across her bedside table, and the red scarf Sakura gave her was now tied around a bed post. Those were the same sheets on her bed that she and Kakashi had napped on one warm afternoon. The room was filled with her familiar scent. It was all so familiar.

But the idea started to burrow itself into his mind, digging at him like an insect: what if she was a stranger?  
Suddenly everything in the room became foreign.

Kakashi walked carefully around and a floorboard creaked under his sandal. He knelt down and lifted it cautiously.

From a dark hollow the empty eyes of the mask looked up at him, glistening silver.  
_"The same as her eyes."_

It was real. This was cold, harsh reality.

Even though the image didn't make sense, the pieces fit together perfectly.

Kakashi swallowed hard, but his throat was dry. As he stood and held the mask in his fingertips, the room spun around him, but he stayed standing firm.

He stared at the mask and it stared back.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura climbed the stairs of the Hokage tower laughing and chatting amiably, each holding a massive load of books.

Shizune greeted them and showed them into Tsunade's office.  
"You're late!" Tsunade barked.

"My apologies Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura set her books down and gave a deep bow.

Naruto tossed his pile onto the desk as well.  
"Ahh cork it Baa-chan! I was the reason Sakura-chan was late! With you running her all over the city she was half starved so I took her to grab ramen. Big whoop!"

A vein on Tsunade's temple started throbbing.  
"You little twerp! I am your Hokage and you will show me some god damn respect, understand!?"

Sakura and Shizune sweat dropped as the two started bickering.

* * *

Sorami quickened her footsteps as she came up to the apartment door. She was already running late after going out to grab some more groceries: the sun had already set and the streetlights had just flickered on when she entered the building.

She shifted another one of the brown paper bags into her left arm in order to have a hand free to unlock the door.

Once inside, she immediately made for the light switch near the kitchen counter.  
As the apartment lit up, a shadowy figure slumped on one of the couches was illuminated.

Sorami yelped and dropped her grocery bags.  
"Kakashi! You scared me! What are you doing, just sitting in the dark like that?!"

An orange slowly rolled out of the fallen bag.

Kakashi turned a grave eye towards her, but did not get up from the couch.  
He flung an object at her feet and it clattered on the wooden floor.

Sorami gazed regretfully down at the mask that lay there.  
"Kakashi let me explain—"

"No." Kakashi's voice cut swifter than any kunai, and he looked at her with disgust. "You lied to me."

"No, Kakashi, I never really lied… I just—I didn't tell you the whole truth that's all, I—"

"Don't speak." He looked away and stared hard at the wall across from his couch. "I will not allow myself to be subject to any more of your lies or your tricks or whatever it is you were doing here."

"Kakashi—" Sorami tried again insistently.

"No. It ends here. All of your deceit and betrayal: it ends now." He avowed.

"Kakashi please. If you just talk to me—"

"I've sent word to the Hokage and the anbu black ops, if you leave now you'll have a 10 minute head start. Consider it a parting gift." Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the wall in front of him.

Sorami's mouth fell agape.  
Her eyes started to water and her body began to shake as she looked at him. Pain flooded her countenance.

He gave no reaction to her.

The realization of what he had done set in.

She made to speak again, but instead she squeezed her eyes shut against the tears and snapped her head to the side to keep him from seeing her anguish. She clenched her fists at her sides, letting her nails dig into her palms, trying desperately to rein in her emotions.

After a moment she stopped shaking and let her fists fall open limply. Her face became blank and she stood tall.

She opened her eyes.  
"Understood." Her voice was hollow.

From the corner of his eye Kakashi watched her. He was cautious, but didn't move from his slumped position on the couch. At this point he decided he would simply let her attack him if she chose to. He didn't care anymore.

She bit her thumb and pulled at the tie that held her hair up in a covered bun.  
As he watched, he noticed that it wasn't really a tie at all, but a thin summoning scroll that she had hidden in the wrap.  
As her blood ran across the Kanji her body was enveloped in clouds; when they cleared she was dressed in all black, fully equipped with ninja tools.

_"She put her hair up in that bun everyday, only taking it down at night. She had always been ready to flee."_ Her wavy, teal hair, now free from its wrap, grazed her shoulders._  
_  
The black and white mask had disappeared off the floor and now hung off her hip on her belt.  
"_She knows she doesn't need it now, __seeing as we know her face."  
_

Similarly, the once black, baggy outfit of the thief, which had hidden her gender originally, was now tucked tight, hugging her figure.  
"_It would probably give her more mobility without the excess fabric_." He mused.

Seeing her standing in her thief garb, he convinced himself that this was the first time he saw her for who she really was.

She turned her back to him then stopped and turned her head to the side.

"Goodbye Kakashi." She intoned civilly.

With that, she vanished in a wisp of smoke.

The two words hung in the air.

She was gone.

Kakashi dropped his emotionless façade and his eyes closed in grief. He leaned forward onto his knees and rested his face in his hands exhaustedly.

* * *

Sakura sat in a chair in front of the Hokage's desk holding her hands over her ears. Tsunade and Naruto had been fighting like this for nearly a half hour. Shizune had already given up and left, but Sakura still had things to discuss with her mentor.

However, the medic was not gone for long, because at that moment Shizune burst through the doors.  
"TSUNADE-SAMA! The identity of the thief has been confirmed: Sorami Kagame!"

Every pair of eyes in the room widened at the outburst.  
"Shizune! Assemble all teams for—NARUTO!"  
Tsunade began to protest but it was too late: Naruto had already lunged through her window and was now blazing across rooftops.

_"Please don't let me be too late! Please don't let me be too late! Please…"_

* * *

Naruto slammed the door of their apartment open and ran inside.

"SORAMI-CHAN THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU! YOU have to—" Naruto trailed off as he only saw Kakashi standing there looking worn.

"Kakashi-sensei! Where's Sorami? We have to get her out of here! We have to keep her safe until we can figure everything out! They're after her!" He frantically ripped open her door to look for her.

"I know Naruto. I'm the one that told them to find her." Kakashi explained despairingly.

Naruto halted mid-motion. "You—what?"

"Sorami is the thief Naruto." Kakashi declared grimly.

"Well yeah, but I mean, we love her! We've got to do something or they'll—!"

"She lied to us Naruto! We trusted her!" He raged. "Wait… What do you mean "yeah?" Did you know about this?" He seethed.

"OF COURSE I KNEW! GEEZ! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto! She is an enemy of this village! How could you know and not inform anyone! I am duty bound to protect my home! My loyalty lies with this village! We are shinobi! You should have done the same! She betrayed us!" Kakashi reamed.

Naruto paced back and forth in frustration.  
"SHE WAS GOING TO TURN HERSELF IN! She just wanted your acceptance first! She was just scared you would reject her-and god! You did! She told you, and you turned her in! I can't believe this!" Naruto pulled at his hair.

"Naruto, I don't know what kind of lies she told you to convince you not to turn her in, but she wasn't about to tell me anything. I saw her today through her window holding the mask. That's the only way I found out." Kakashi spat.

"OH YOU ARE AN IDIOT! That WAS her way of telling you! She was obviously too scared to confront you, so she showed you instead! It was to see what you would do, and you frickin blew it! She did the EXACT same thing with me! Don't you get it?! Do you really think a Shinobi of that level, who has been hiding in our well-guarded village for months, would just take out evidence of guilt in broad daylight, next to an open window, when she's expecting you over?! Are you that thick?! Even **I **knew that's what she was doing when she showed me, and she was waaay more subtle that time! Gaah!" Naruto braced himself on the counter.

Kakashi tried to wrap his mind around what Naruto was saying, but shook his head against it.  
"Naruto, none of that matters. She betrayed us. She is an enemy. We are Shinobi. That is all there is to it. I'm sorry." Kakashi resolved.

Naruto pushed himself off the counter, stood straight, and sighed.  
"No I'm sorry Kakashi. I'm sorry that you don't understand that there's so much more to this than that: there is family, there is trust, and there is love. I'm sorry you let your hurt at being lied to cloud your judgement. And I'm sorry that you probably just blew the one shot you had at real happiness." Naruto shook his head at the older man as he ran out the door.

Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes.

* * *

[**SSL: Coldplay- God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Sorami's struggle)]**

Sorami leaned against a tree trunk and tried to catch her breath. All this time lazing about in the village had really done a number on her; the anbu team trailing her was catching up and fast.

She quickly leapt again, but she knew that simply running would never actually allow her the time to escape. She had her plan ready, but it was terribly risky.

Sorami ran to the clearing and waited. She could feel more than hear or see the anbu teams surrounding her.

She took a deep breath, raised her arms in defensive position, and widened her stance in preparation for the imminent onslaught.

A woman in an owl mask stepped forward into the moonlight and drew her sword.  
"Sorami Kagame! You are here by under arrest by order of the Hokage of the Leaf Village! If you resist arrest we will be forced to attack! We have been authorized to use lethal force if necessary. Do you understand?"

Sorami stayed perfectly still.

"Will you surrender?" The purple haired captain advanced.

Sorami only stared down the woman. Her grey eyes became empty as she narrowed them at the captain.

The purple haired owl gave a nod in her direction and three anbu teams burst from the trees. Sorami leapt into the air as they descended upon her. Her reflective grey eyes flashed in the moonlight.

* * *

Kakashi felt like a ghost of himself, just a shell, as he stood in the Hokage's office.  
Tsunade stood at her window staring out towards the forests where her men were attempting to find and apprehend Sorami.

"You hold no blame Kakashi." She announced, breaking the stillness of the room.

He didn't answer.

"She fooled us all. And what's more, you were the one to discover her and turn her in. You have done well as a Shinobi. You will not be reprimanded and you need not reprimand yourself for this situation. She will be caught and brought to justice. I hope that consoles you even a bit."

His Hokage was trying to convince him that he had no reason for guilt, and yet he felt like a traitor in more ways than one.  
He had done his duty to his village; he knew where his loyalties lie, but every moment the woman he loved, or thought he loved, was getting farther and farther away from him.  
At this point he was inconsolable.

"Yes Hokage. May I be dismissed?" Kakashi requested shortly.

Tsunade bowed her head and frowned at the desolation in his voice.  
"Hai."

* * *

Sorami grabbed at the arm that had just been slashed by the anbu captain's sword.

Her breathing was heavy, but so were her enemies'.  
_"These anbu really put up one hell of a fight!"_

The forest clearing was littered with fallen anbu, drugging needles sticking out of some, others knocked out by combat.

Sorami was worse for wear as well, it was almost impossible to compete with non-lethal force on shinobi of this level. She had major bruising on her entire left side from where an earth wall jutsu had launched her into the air as she was flipping away from a byakugan user. She guessed that she might have a few broken ribs, and now her arm was bleeding pretty steadily.

The purple haired anbu captain gave a small smile at the miniature victory, but only for a moment.  
_"Don't get cocky, this Sorami woman is dangerous. She's taken out one team already. It's strange: she moves like she knows exactly what our teams' strengths and weaknesses are. She backs away instantly from close range users and charges at long range users. She's a thief so maybe she read our files?" _She glanced at one of her fallen comrades._ "But no, the attacks she uses are too precise, it was like she was completely aware of Tohatsu's blind spot, even our files wouldn't have that! There's not a lot we've got in this battle, but we've got her vastly out numbered. The only time we seem to get a hit in is when we attack her from all sides, but even with the back up that's come, if she keeps picking us off like this that number advantage will disappear! We've got to act fast!"_

"Kilo Barrage!" She shouted into her earpiece.  
All of the shinobi leapt towards the target, each launching a new ninjutsu and preparing taijutsu.

Sorami ducked and dodged the multiple attacks that assaulted her. It was like maneuvering through an abstract painting of tangled arms, legs, fire, mud and water. Then she saw her opening: as two shinobi parted, she burst through the crowd of ninja at top speed out of the fray, and out of the clearing, into the wood. The anbu gave chase but one of the members caught something in his peripheral.  
"PAPER BOMB FOUR O'CLOCK!"

It had a long, loud fuse. The anbu captain narrowed her eyes at it.  
_"Why would she make it so obvious?"_

Her eyes widened and she scanned the immediate area.  
"HALT! EVERONE BACK!"

The trees all around them had camouflaged paper bombs attached to them. Though they had no detonators or trip wires, the Anbu captain watched as the bomb Sorami had thrown off to the side started an immense chain reaction. Tree after tree exploded in frightening progression, in less than 20 seconds more than an acre of trees had exploded into a giant ball of flame.

Her men retreated just in time to avoid the giant explosion that was engulfing the forest.  
_"She's insane! This tactic was specifically designed so we won't be able to tail her: we can't follow her if what is following right behind her is an explosion. She's in there right now running for her life away from her own trap! Bugs can't enter the heat and dog's sense of smell will be confused by all the smoke. It's so precisely orchestrated. My god, why didn't I think of it before? She's been in the village for months; of course she would have time to generate an escape plan! This was her tactic all along… she wanted the anbu to converge on her location so she could make sure they didn't spread out to search. And this fire is just far enough away from the village that the flames will not immediately damage any properties, but large and close enough that it would be our priority to put it out before endangering citizens. Damn it!"_

"Squads 8, 12, and 9! All water jutsu on the flame! Now! All available teams report for damage control!" The long haired anbu barked.  
She stood and stared into the roaring blaze, then watched as the flames broke off a charred tree branch.

* * *

Naruto stopped in his tracks on the rooftop as he saw the forest to the east begin to explode in rapid sequence. His eyes widened, his heart sped up, and he silently prayed Sorami was alright.

He stood for a moment, mesmerized by the chaos, then continued to run.

* * *

The blonde boy leapt up each branch as fast as he could then halted as he neared the top of the tree.

He looked out over the village and towards the fire, now so far away it was only an orange glow touching the darkened sky. It was still burning bright, but the deafening boom of the bombs had ceased.

He was at the tree behind the Hokage Mountain: Sorami's tree.

"Naruto you're here!" He turned as Sorami landed and immediately she hugged him. "I knew you'd know to come here! I don't know how, but I just hoped with all my heart you would." She gripped him tighter.

Naruto held her shoulders.  
"Sorami what happened?! What is that fire?!" He demanded. He looked her up and down: she was scorched and bruised, and a recklessly applied bandage was wrapped around her arm.  
"Your clothes are all singed! Are you alright?!" He fussed.

"Don't worry it's fine." She answered shortly. "Listen, we don't really have much time. I just needed to tell you that I love you and that I'll miss you and—"

"You're trying to leave?! No! You can't Sorami! Listen: we'll go the Hokage, and you'll turn yourself in, and we'll make a deal–"

Sorami stopped him.  
"Naruto, I can't. It doesn't work like that. Kakashi turned me in." She almost choked on the words as they left her mouth. "I'll get no peaceful surrender deal at this point. I can't stay here anymore Naruto. I just can't. There's no future here for me... Not after this…"

"No Sorami. You can. I swear: I'll do everything in my power to help you! You aren't a criminal! They just need to know that! You're not a bad guy; you're a good person Sorami!"

Sorami backed away from him.  
"No… you see… that's where you're wrong Naruto... I'm not a good person… I lie and I steal and I cheat… And I know it's wrong, but I do it anyway… I can't help it… But you're right: I'm not a bad person either. I don't have ill intentions or violence in my heart, and I have so much love and light to offer."  
She took his chin gently and faced him to look her in the eyes.

"Listen to me now Naruto: this world isn't just good and bad. It's not always going to be black and white like you want it to be. There are so many shades of grey and you will have to struggle with that your whole life. You of all people need to understand this if you wish to be Hokage someday. You are going to have to make some tough decisions in this life.  
Just think about it Naruto: what will you do if Sasuke really does come back? He is a criminal. You know that. He has committed treason against your village; it's a crime punishable by death. What will you do?"

Naruto's face fell and his eyebrows knit in uncertainty.

Sorami held his shoulders.  
"Everyone has light and dark Naruto. That is life. Even the village you love so fiercely has secrets that would make your skin crawl."Sorami shook her head then spoke in a rush. "But I don't have time to go into that right now; we don't have time to waste. I've had a contingency plan in place for months and you need to listen: in the closet in my room there is a box, inside you'll find money, instructions, and a letter to Mrs. Kato apologizing for what has happened (I know they're going to question her roughly.) Also, don't worry about the rent on the apartment; I've already paid for a year in advance so you'll be able to afford it even without me there, what else…" Sorami murmured quickly.

"Sorami... don't go." Naruto whispered brokenly.

Sorami faltered in her calculations and hugged him close.  
"Oh Naruto, I wish I could stay. I do."

"Then stay. I love you Sorami-chan. I don't want you to go." Naruto croaked into her neck.

Sorami's eyes watered and she looked upwards at the night sky.  
"I love you too sweet boy; you will never understand how much. You've given me something I thought I could never have. You have made my life so wonderful and meaningful. Wherever I go now, I'll always have you with me. That idea is something so precious to me. You have given me reason to rise each morning… you are my love… you are my light… you are my sun."  
They both squeezed tighter at the meaning behind the phrase.

Naruto held fast.  
"I don't know what to do. You're my family Sorami-chan." Naruto said desperately.

Sorami smoothed his hair.  
"You'll be alright Naruto. You have Hinata now; she'll be there for you. And you have Sakura, and Sai and… Kakashi… You are still a family. Don't let this change that. Promise me Naruto. Keep having those Sunday dinners, and please, please, be happy. Promise me that you'll be happy. I couldn't stand it if you weren't." Tears escaped her.

Naruto shook his head.  
"Sorami-chan I can't promise that. I'll miss you. I don't know how it can go back to how it was." He answered miserably.

"Listen: I have your love and you have mine. With that, we'll never be alone again. Let that fact reassure you whenever you miss me. You'll never be alone again Naruto. I promise."

Naruto nodded and he crushed her to him.  
They stayed silent and simply held each other.

"Will I ever see you again?" His voice broke at the thought.

Sorami pulled back and held his face in her hands.  
"Yes. Of course you will. Even if the hidden leaf's entire army comes after me, they couldn't keep us apart. We'll see each other again someday. I swear it."

He nodded and balled his fists.  
She tipped his head down and kissed his forehead.

He closed his eyes.  
"I love you Sorami-chan." He whispered hoarsely

"I love you too… my Naruto."

He opened his eyes and she was gone.

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Report." Tsunade barked as she shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun streaming through her office window.  
It had been a rough week following "The Sorami Incident." She hadn't slept much and her sake collection had lessened significantly.

Shizune flipped over a paper on her clipboard.  
"We've finalized the survey of fire damage and have come to find that, due to the timely efforts of the anbu on scene, the fire was contained before doing any lasting damage. It has also been confirmed that there were no casualties or major injuries related to the event."  
Tsunade nodded mechanically and waved her hand around as a signal for Shizune to hurry it up.

Shizune laughed hesitantly and put on a cheery voice.  
"Well you'll be pleased to know that Naruto and Sakura have gathered a number of genin teams, academy students and organized volunteers to plant new trees in the deforested area and are sure to—"

Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk.  
"Shizune! Enough with the charity talk! You and I both know that's just Naruto's ridiculous attempt at trying to fix Sorami's guilt! Now tell me what I really want to know!"

"Yes my lady." Shizune bowed and she spoke in a disciplined manner.  
"There have been no reports so far as to the location of the wanted criminal Sorami Kagame. Tracking efforts have led to a dead end due to complications with the recent rains. However, border patrols have been posted and a number of teams have been sent out to check major thoroughfares for any sign of her."

Tsunade spun her chair away as Shizune continued to speak and she closed her eyes resignedly.  
_"I'm trusting you're right about this Sorami woman Naruto… at least then I don't have to worry about her exposing our village secrets, but god! When we catch her I'm going to enjoy locking her up! She is such a pain in my ass!"_

Shizune's voice continued softly in the background.  
"Wanted posters and sketches have been posted in all major villages and on every…"

* * *

"Hey! I said whoa there!"  
A hidden leaf chunin leapt out of the way of a large cart on the dirt road.

A middle aged man with tanned farmer's skin took off his hat in respect.  
"Oh sorry there officer! Didn't mean to run you over! It's this damn new mule I bought! Doesn't listen to a dern thing I say to it! Stubborn as a mule you could say!" He laughed jovially.

"It's fine sir. Unfortunately, we have been ordered to stop all traffic on this road and inspect all transports, so we would appreciate your cooperation. Have you seen this woman?"

The chunin unrolled his scroll and a wanted poster of a slightly smirking young woman stared at the driver.  
Name: Sorami Kagame  
Age: 25  
Height: 5'6"  
Weight: 115-122  
Eyes: Grey.  
Hair: Teal.

Next to the image of Sorami was a sketch of her donning the black and white thief mask and ninja garb.

The driver scratched his head.  
"Sorry young man, can't say that I have!" He answered brightly.

"I see. Sir may I ask you where you are coming from, where you are headed, and what cargo you are carrying?"

"Well I'm just coming from the Leaf Village, heading up to Hot Spring Country: I'm retiring!" He announced proudly. "As for what's in ma cart: I don't got much; just a few essential pieces of my life. No secrets there if you want to check 'er out." He explained pleasantly.  
"I am carrying a good number of fellow relaxation seekers though! Might ask them if they seen your lady!" He offered kindly.

The chunin nodded politely.  
"Thank you sir. My partner just has a few more questions for you."

He left the two to chat and walked to the back of the cart to inspect the other passengers.

He lifted the wanted poster and asked each of them the same questions as the driver.  
There were no leads.

As he searched around the cart at each of the faces there he sighed.  
All of them were weathered and wrinkled, just looking for a nice place to rest their bones at the end of their days.  
He couldn't wait to be done with this goose chase and go home to his family to relax.

"Alright Tetsu! This group checks out! Send them on their way!" He yelled to his partner ahead.

"Thank you for your cooperation." The other chunin bowed to the driver.

"No problem! Good luck with yer search!" He called out to them.

"HYA LULA! HYA!" He snapped the reins at the old donkey who obeyed reluctantly and the rickety cart began to move.

The two chunin walked off to the side of the road.

An old woman with a young spirit, hidden behind false wrinkles, wrapped her burgundy shawl around her face more snugly. Piercing grey eyes watched as the border of Fire Country was slowly left behind.

As the cart creaked and bumped she thought of the home and love she left behind.  
She settled her head down and closed her eyes.  
_"At least I'm free."_

**[SSL: Massive Attack- Teardrop on Fire (The End)]**

* * *

A/N: Maybe not what you were expecting huh? Well, such is life I suppose, so that's the conclusion of this volume. It's been a long time coming and I don't know how many stuck with it, but I thank you and I hope you enjoyed it either way! I may want to continue this series in a new volume, so hopefully that works out. If you want more of Sorami and more of these adventures let me know! ^_^

Shout out to everyone who reviewed: you guys are the best! It really motivated me to keep going! Your support plays a major part in the creation of fanfiction so, really, thank you reviewers!

-xLiLix


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